Private Intentions
by savagecannon
Summary: Hermione had trouble believing that someone that handsome and charming looking was any sort of a prick. "Sounds like trouble." Hermione wandered out loud. "Tom Riddle is nothing but." He said with a sort of finality. TR/HG, TOMIONE, AU NON-MAGIC.
1. Chapter 1

**AUTHORS NOTE: (EVEN IF HALF OF YOU WON'T READ IT) So. I'm currently on an extended writers block with my other Tomione, I have half of a new chapter written but I'm completely stuck. While i'm stuck I came up with this golden piece however and had to at least try it out. I KNOW it's COMPLETELY different because it has absolutely no magic but I promise if you stick with me, it'll be better. I've been reading a lot of AU non-magic and I just had this one pop in my head and, this chapter like all my first chapter is a start up. You get into the feel of this Hermione and her backstory. That's important to me. You need to know the character you're going to be spending at least thirty chapters with Right?**

 **Anyway, Disclaimer: I own NO rights to Harry Potter or any of the characters that J.K. Rowling produced or any of that junk. While this is a story of my making, she owns all rights to her characters and blah..blah...blah you know the rest.**

 **Hit me up with some reviews because I definitely need to know if this can go any further than what I've written. I feel pretty good about it though, even if you don't like it, I'll keep writing it because I actually really like it and love AU non-magic Tom. He's just as dreamy as the other.**

 **I feel like you'll get a good feel of my AU from this first chapter though.**

 **Enjoy and Review! =)**

Hermione pulled at her bushy curls, her headache was pounding. She stared out the car window of her parent's car longing for the quiet streets of her London townhome. She couldn't understand why she couldn't have just stayed in London and continued going to school. She had aunts and uncles living in London, why couldn't she have just stayed with them.

" _Hermione, your father and I would like to tell you something, sit down please." Her mother's face looked nervous, grasping at the pearls that hung around her neck._

" _What? Did someone die?" Hermione asked, her stomach clenching in fear._

" _No…no. Nothing like that." Her father replied, his brown hair was slicked into a very professional side part, his dark grey suit fit him perfectly._

 _Her parent's brown eyes eyed her nervously, as though she were about to blow up and tear the home into a thousand pieces._

" _What? What is it?" Hermione demanded, she was getting nervous._

" _We're moving." Her father said, he put his hand in her mother's lap._

" _Moving? Where are we moving too?" Hermione felt her stomach clench again, what of all her friends here? She had spent the last seventeen years of her life here in London, why all of a sudden did they want to move?_

" _We…your father and I that is, are moving to Germany…"_

" _Germany why Ge- wait. What do you mean you and dad? I'm not coming?!" Hermione felt her voice creak, a shrill tone sweeping into her voice._

" _Well, we don't think it would be right to take you from where you've grown, but of course we can't leave you here alone. Your father and I have thought a lot about it, and we've found a nice private boarding scho-"_

" _You're just leaving me here? You're not taking me with you?" Hermione was still trying to wrap her head around the fact that they were just leaving, just leaving without her._

" _Hermione, be quiet. Your father is trying to speak." Her mother admonished her, placing her hand on hers in an attempt to calm her._

 _Hermione stared angrily at both her parents, they were really going to leave. They were going into another country and they were just going to stick her into a boarding school and leave her by herself. She wouldn't even get to go to school with all her old friends. She fought the urge to cry, she would not cry over something like this. She would be strong._

" _It's a lovely school Hermione, very private and secluded. It'll be good for you, the courses there are even more challenging, and you need that. You're too smart for public school anyway. Your mother and I can't simply leave you here by yourself and we just don't feel right taking you somewhere where you wouldn't even be able to speak the language, let alone be in an entirely new city. If you stay here, you'll still be here in London and you can visit your mother and I on holiday." Her father seemed desperate to try and soothe Hermione's anger, but it seemed every word just coursed like hot poison through her veins._

" _What's the name of the school?" She asked, her stomach burned and clawed at itself, she felt like she was going to throw up._

" _Hogwarts, a funny name really for a private school. It's just on the edge of London and it's quite posh. You'll love it dear, I promise." Her mom rubbed her knuckles, which had turned white._

"We're here Miss Granger, I'll grab your things if you'll go inside. The headmaster will be waiting for you." The driver's green eyes stared into hers through the mirror waiting for her reply.

She sighed and stepped out of the vehicle, pulling her skirt that had ridden up during the ride. She had received her school uniform in the post and was told to be dressed in it when she arrived. Her parents had left her earlier this morning and her goodbye to them and been short and emotionless. She was still angry at her parents for just dumping her into a private boarding school rather than taking her with them. What kind of job in Dentistry was so important that they had to move to Germany? Her school uniform felt starchy and uncomfortable. The skirt reached right above her knees and was a dark navy and she wore knee high navy socks. She wore a navy cardigan with the school's insignia sewn right over her breast on the right side. She wore a white oxford which she had rolled up to go over her sweat sleeves.

The school was massive, the pamphlet that her parent's had provided her did the school no justice. It looked like a mixture of a university and castle with rolling gardens and greenhouses sprawling out behind it. Large patches of oak and blossom trees littered around the school and the school grounds, which were large to say the least (according to the pamphlet over 500 acres) were gated and surrounded by thick dense patches of trees to give the school privacy. The school was tall, it seemed to be over fifteen to twenty stories. The building itself looked to be over a hundred years old, but seemed so well kept it looked posh and expensive. Hermione's parents had told her the school was picky over who was allowed and the fees were incredibly high. Hermione was allowed in because of her outstanding grades and given a scholarship (which didn't cover all the fees) and here she was, one month later.

She took her time walking up the great stone steps leading up to the large wooden doors, she pulled the door open and it creaked and groaned loudly. _You would think that with a school this aristocratic that they would at least be able to afford some oil for the door…or at least new hinges._ Hermione worked to keep her mouth closed as she walked inside, the grand entrance was spectacular. A large electric candle chandelier hung from the ceiling, it was massive, as though it weighed a ton. Windows covered with stained glass shown light into the wondrous hall which was lined with portraits and lush rugs. A large grand staircase led up to another set of wooden doors and curved off into two hallways on either side. Hermione looked to her left and right to find two more sets of wooden doors on either side. Hermione did a double take, a very stern severe looking woman stood in front of the left side doors.

"You must be Miss Granger, I'm Ms. McGonagall. I'll be your English literature professor." She strode forward and bowed her head at her. Her doorman came through the doors behind them with several of her suitcases. "Ah, you may wait here for our care taker Mr. Filch, he'll be by shortly to help you with the bags."

Hermione didn't say anything, she just stared at the woman. Her hair was black with grey streaking throughout it and pulled into a very tight bun behind her head. _That bun is so tight on this woman's head you would think that she wouldn't have so many lines on her face._ Hermione suppressed a giggle at the thought. She wore a long dark green skirt and a cream colored blouse with a matching dark green cardigan over it. Her outfit looked just as severe as she did.

"You'll be living in the girl's dormitory of course, and you'll have one roommate. Girls and boys are forbidden to be in each other's dorms. Curfew is 10:00 and breakfast starts at 6:30 and classes start at eight. Lunch is at 12:30 and dinner will be at 6:00. I have your class schedule here." She paused to hand Hermione a sheet of paper that listed out classes, it looked like a university schedule, with certain classes on some days and different ones on the other. "All students have free period at the same time, every day, 1:30. If you're late to class, you will be written up and if you're written up three times, you will receive detention, any questions?"

Hermione's head was swirling with all the information the woman was saying, she felt overwhelmed.

"This is the great hall, where all your meals and special events will happen. We have annual Christmas balls before Christmas break and an optional New Year's Eve social for the students who stay over holiday. All dormitories are off this way to the left, if you'll follow me." She didn't wait her Hermione and strode off up another set of stairs leading upwards.

Hermione quickened her pace to keep up with Ms. McGonagall's fast strides up the steps until they reached the top which sprawled out for what Hermione almost could've assumed was a mile. It was a wide corridor that had Doors every twenty feet or so with numbers on them. A large deep mahogany colored rug stretched all the way to the end of the corridor which seemed to split off into separate corridors.

"This is the middle school corridor, you'll corridor will of course be on the top three floors with the upperclassmen. Gym class," Hermione winced visibly, she hadn't taken Gym class since grade school. McGonagall noticed. "Yes, Gym Class, all students must participate in some sort of physical activity. We won't be sending you all home looking like stuffed turkeys. As I was saying, all your classes will be on the top three floors, each class carries roughly 15-20 students a piece, we like to keep our classes small so the students can feel closer to their teachers. Class is Monday through Friday. Saturday is free day, you may do as you please, every other Saturday of the month we take buses into London for students to shop and do as they please, and you'll need permission from your parents."

Hermione stared blankly ahead, she was trying to siphon all this information in but it was adding onto her already throbbing headache. Something about the third floor and buses into London and this was middle school. Hermione usually had no trouble taking in information. Had her parents not removed her from her previous school, Hermione would have been head of her class. Grades had never been a problem for Hermione, she enjoyed studying and reading and always did all of her homework and tests with great flourish. She picked nervously at the end of her cardigan, her parents had said this school would challenge her. Was she going to fall behind in classes because she was showing up a month after school had started? Would she be a complete dunce compared to all the other students here at this school?

Hermione had done her research, this was an incredibly prestigious school, she was almost baffled at being let in on scholarship, let alone being let in at all. Most of the children here had parents in high politics, wealthy first class families that owned large land plots or businesses, corporate, or even royalty. She felt her stomach threaten to expose her breakfast at the thought of trying to fit in with all these prominent people. A fear gnawed at the back of her head that they would know simply by looking at her that her parents were just lowly dentist. While Hermione's parents weren't overtly wealthy, they had money. Hermione had never wanted for anything. However, Hermione knew that compared to the children at this school, she might as well have lived in poverty.

"Here we are, the head student's offices." Hermione stumbled back to avoid running into this woman.

She looked up and found herself facing a clear glass door with the words: HEAD STUDENT'S OFFICES plated onto the door. Ms. McGonagall opened the door and held her arm forward, gesturing for Hermione to quickly enter. Hermione felt timid as she stepped into the office, it was cozy and luxurious. A large high backed couch sat against the wall, its leather high buttoned back and arms were the same length, Hermione had half the mind to just lay in it and go to sleep. A oak coffee table shaped as a large piece of waxed refinished wood sat in the middle littered with magazines and an elaborate wrought-iron candle centerpiece. The walls held painted pictures of two students apiece, a boy and girl, dressed in a cap and gown holding a diploma.

"Hermione, this is Marietta Hedgecomb, she is the girl's upper classmen Head Girl. She'll be showing you around to your classroom and your dormitory. Any questions you have can be answered by her, Miss Hedgecomb, you may take over from here." Ms. McGonagall nodded at Hermione and her skirt swished behind her as the door slammed shut, leaving an incredibly loud uncomfortable silence.

The girl was tall but stout, she had short curly redish-blonde hair that appeared much more tamed and sleek than Hermione's bushy locks, she felt a small twinge of jealousy. Her eyes were a dark brown and they looked almost muddy and they held Hermione with a small look of contempt.

"Well it's nice to meet you..?" Her voice trailed off, she held out a shiny manicured hand. Hermione stared at it for a second before reaching hers out.

"Hermione, Hermione Granger." She spoke, the girl's handshake was firm and she squeezed Hermione's roughly.

"Well Hermione, I guess I'll show you to your classrooms, all of them are in the same three floors so you shouldn't have any problem with that. The numbers," She stopped to pick up Hermione's paper and shove it under Hermione's now scrunched nose. "They all correspond to the floor you're on, so class 1524, well that'll be floor fifteen then won't it? Pretty easy. I'll show you to your dorm room first. I assume you've already seen the Great Hall." She didn't stop to wait, she simply walked straight out the head office door leaving Hermione standing there staring at the back of her disappearing head.

 _Does everyone in this damn school just walk off and expect you to follow them?_ Hermione followed behind Marietta as she rattled off an absurd amount of historic facts about Hogwarts and it's founders, apparently there was four. The school was founded in the very early 1800's, one of the first in London. The school had many historic landmarks inside the grounds, an enormously large willow that was as old as the school itself, a statue of the founders, a park with a fountain, a running path that went all the way around the school ( _like I'd even care to know that information)_ and a beautiful lake situated in the very right hand corner of the land, simply called The Great Lake.

"Ah, here we are. The girls dormitories, you're dorm is right…" She walked on down an impossibly long twisting and turning hallway until she reached a door, 497. "Right here, your roommate will be Ginny Weasley. She's a nice girl all right, bit of a temper though. Her whole family is here actually, well, except for two of her brothers, they've graduated. You'll like her I'm sure, she gets along with most everyone. Her entire family has gone here, all get to come here free on an alumni scholarship. Their mother's side of the family is quite wealthy though, not much to say about their father." She babbled relentlessly.

"Can we go inside?" Hermione interrupted her, afraid that she would simply stand outside her room all day gossiping incessantly.

"Oh yeah, of course." She opened the door and Hermione's eyes widened in surprise, the dorm room was massive.

It was in itself a master bedroom, two queen sized four poster beds stood at each side of the room. Inbetween the beds, a large window with a padded ledge looked out towards the back grounds which Hermione's breath caught in her throat out. A small desk sat in front of each four poster bed, Ginny's side was a little cluttered, posters hung up on the walls of soccer teams ( _who even likes the Chudley Cannons these days?)_ along with a few decorative touches here and there. Hermione saw that next to her bedside was a picture of her and a boy with a large messy amount of black hair kissing her on the check. A corkboard

"Curfew is at ten and breakfast starts at-"

"Six and ends at 8, Ms. McGonagall told me." Hermione cut her off before she could ramble on again, she didn't mean to be rude but her head was still killing her.

The rest of the tour consisted with Marietta spouting more useless historical knowledge as she walked Hermione up to her first class. Hermione looked down at her schedule and saw that her first class was Advanced Level Biochemistry. She felt a pang of excitement, finally something interesting. This entire tour was really starting to bore her.

"Alright, here we are Hermione, your first class. If you need anything else, I'm on the third floor, but I'm sure you can ask someone else too, everyone here is pretty nice if they're not too busy being stuck up."

Hermione nodded and ignored the urge to gulp as Marietta opened the door letting Hermione in. She felt all eyes turn on her and she felt a hot blush creep slowly up her neck. The professor was a regular heighted man with a very large rotund belly. He wore a very old fashioned tweed suit and had a coat pocket chain hanging down his side, Hermione stared at him for a second before she turned back to the class.

"Professor Slughorn, this is Hermione Granger, she's a new eleventh year." Marietta announced her proudly as though she were the Queen.

"Hermione, good to meet you m'lady. Please, come in and have a seat. There, over there, a seat next to Mr. Weasley will do fine. Mr. Weasley if you please, yes, thank you." A boy with flaming red hair waved his hand. His face was speckled with bright orange freckles and he had the largest doe brown eyes Hermione had ever laid eyes on.

Hermione slowly slid out her notebook from her bag and took out a pen and began writing notes on the board, ignoring the stares that she felt pulsing into her skull, if she could just make it through this day without crying or having a panic attack, everything would be okay. She just had to concentrate on class, she loved Biochemistry, all she had to do was pay attention and this class would fly by.

"M'name's Ronald, but you can call me Ron." The boy next to her whispered, his voice was deep and friendly. He smiled at her heartedly.

"Hermione," She nodded, a genuine smile reaching her lips at the sight of his friendliness.

"This class isn't too hard, if you pay attention, usually I sit next to him-" Ron pointed over across the room and Hermione caught eyes with the boy from her roommates picture frame earlier. His bright green eyes stood out against his messy mop of black hair. "That's Harry, he's my best friend. You'll meet him later."

Hermione was felt a bit of surprise at the way he just assumed that Hermione would automatically want to meet and befriend this boy, Harry. She nodded her head, watching the professor as he wrote on the board. She turned her head and then stopped and caught her breath.

A boy was staring at her, she would hardly call him a boy however. He had dark hair that was such a dark shade of brown Hermione almost mistook it for black. It was parted down the side and styled into a neat messy wave, it was sort of old fashioned but it looked ageless on him. It looked perfect. He was tall and broad shouldered, but lean. Hermione could have stared at his body for days, his eyes burned into hers and she felt a hot blush creeping up her chest into her face. His eyes were a beautiful shade of blue that Hermione couldn't even match a color too. If she weren't so embarrassed at being caught staring, she would have looked even longer. Ron had noticed.

"That's Tom Riddle, bit of a prick really. Father's a wealthy politician of sorts, lots of power. His father is one of benefactors to the school. Everyone thinks he's a great guy but he's hiding something." Hermione had trouble believing that someone that handsome and charming looking was any sort of a prick. "Him and his friends are all in a posse of sorts, secluded bunch. His posse is a bunch of pompous asshole's, act like their better than everyone else."

"Sounds like trouble." Hermione wandered out loud.

"Tom Riddle is nothing but." He said with a sort of finality.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: LET IT BE KNOWN THAT I HAVE DECIDED TO BE MERCIFUL AND LET SIRIUS BLACK LIVE IN THIS STORY BECAUSE WHO THE HELL DOESN'T LOVE SIRIUS BLACK**

 **I MEAN JESUS CHRIST (also Remus Lupin and Tonks because I literally hate J.K. Rowling for killing Tonks and Lupin, that was so out of line)**

 **And yes, all of the professors are going to be Order members, I mean why the hell not. This is my AU isn't it? Anyway, I actually have no outline or anything written for this so I have no idea where it's going so just. Enjoy. I sort of like where it's going; don't worry though. Eventually I'll sit down and write an outline and take it somewhere. My next chapter for What They Don't Know is ALSO coming along, it's ALMOST finished just adding a few small finishing details and of course, I'm going to edit it. I went through and slightly edited this one, but i'm at work so it's not perfect.**

 **Review and all that junk though! Thanks!**

Hermione found that she really enjoyed Ron Weasley and his friend Harry Potter. Ron had given her Harry's life story during Latin, a class which a part of Hermione seemed to question Ron being able to pass at all. His Latin was below-par, and that was for lack of better words. Harry Potter and grown up an orphan, raised by his aunt and uncle who were questionable guardians to say the least. His parent's had been murdered (gruesomely, details which Ron hadn't so politely spared) and his God-Father, a man named Sirius Black, had found him in the morning, sitting in a pool of his parent's blood who had been tortured and killed in his room. He was allowed to spend summers with his god-father. Ron on the other hand, had grown up in a very large family, six siblings and the second youngest with five older brothers (all except his older twin brothers had graduated) and one younger sister (her roommate) who Harry had been dating for a year now.

"Are you here on scholarship as well?" She asked as she packed her bag.

"My mother's family has gone here since it opened, goes back a long way. Her family donated a lot of money back in the day. We've all attended on alumni scholarship, my brothers and me, what about you?" He turned around waiting for Harry.

"I've been accepted on a grade scholarship, my parents still pay a good bit though. They've gone off to Germany, they're dentists." She shrugged.

"What're they going to do in Germany?" Harry asked, his eyebrow raised.

"That's what I asked when they told me they were leaving, beats-"

"Ronald, you haven't introduced us to your new friend." Hermione stared blankly at the boy who had interrupted her.

He was tall, tall enough to where he had a good head on Hermione. His features seemed flawless, and Hermione didn't even quite feel like she was exaggerating. His skin was so soft and sculpted, it was almost ridiculous. He wore a dark blue sweater, the school's emblem stitched onto the right breast side. His muscles were clearly defined underneath it, he wasn't too muscular, but enough to be well defined and broad. His smile was charming and slightly crooked, his teeth perfectly white. The smile he gave Hermione was perfunctory and charismatic, and if Hermione didn't feel like his stare was making her body melt on the spot, she might have smiled back at him.

"Hermione, this is Tom." Ron's voice became short.

"Tom _Riddle._ It's a pleasure to meet you." His voice was low and smooth, Hermione had the image of liquid gold running through her mind.

"Hermione Granger, thank you." She said quietly, she found it hard to find her voice.

"Don't be rude, introduce yourselves to Miss Granger." Riddle's voice gave way to authority at the boys standing next to him and they jumped, all greeting her at once, though not as politely as he had.

"Draco Malfoy." The boy was tall and lean, his face pointed. He had bleached hair that was cut in a much sculpted haphazard faux-hawk, his sweater pulled up and his oxford folded over it revealing muscular under arms. His eyes had the lightest blue eyes Hermione had ever laid eyes on, if he hadn't looked so haughty, he might have been incredibly attractive.

"Blaise Zabini." A dark skinned boy nodded at her, his face the definition of gorgeous. He was tall and chiseled, with large muscles flexing beneath his navy polo.

"Pansy Parkinson." The girl that shouldered herself between the two boys stood in a way next to Tom that told every girl in the vicinity to keep their hands off. Hermione balked at the sneer that accompanied her tone, what had she done to her?

"I'm the head boy so if you ever need anything, please ask. I'm sure you've met Marietta?" He was so charming and polite Hermione was utterly confused as to why Ron and Harry would hate him so much.

"Yes, of course. She showed me around. I appreciate that very much, thank you." She smiled at him politely.

He smiled back at her and she felt her neck grow hot. He seemed confident in his charm, people around them were walking slowly, watching the exchange carefully. He nodded his head courteously at Hermione before waving his hand and walking off, his friends following in close pursuit. Hermione saw Pansy Parkinson's arm latch onto his, eyeing Hermione behind her back as they walked off.

"Prat." Ron spat.

"He seemed like a real gentlemen, I don't understand." She looked at Ron questioningly, nothing about Riddle's appearance gave way to Ron's description of him.

"He may not act like it, but his "posse" does." Harry joined their chat. "He's their leader or something like that, they follow him around everywhere. Everyone seems to love him, but just him really. Malfoy, well he's an-"

"Asshole, a great big flaming asshole." Ron spoke through his teeth.

"Yes, and well Pansy's a right annoying bit of work as well. Clings to him like she can't breathe when he's not around. They all fancy themselves above everyone here, their parents are all quite powerful-"

"And Rich, incredibly filthy rich." Ron interrupted again

"Their families have gone here through generations, since the beginning. It's a bit of a joke really, they call themselves purebloods. Anyone who's been here for ten years or more, well their half-bloods." Harry shrugged his shoulders. "I've been going here for twelve years now so there's that."

"Riddle doesn't really do much to stop his followers from picking on everyone, the way he sits and watches, you'd think he put them up to it, never see him doing anything though. Most of the professors and students fancy him _Mr. Perfect._ " Ron said as they neared the door to their third class. "There's just something wrong about him."

"You think there's something wrong with everyone." A pretty girl with flaming red hair and freckles put her arm around Harry's waist. "Hello, I'm Ginny Weasley. You must be-"

"Hermione Granger, I'm your dorm mate." She stuck her hand out in a token action, Ginny laughed.

"It's nice to meet you, how do you like it so far?" Her skirt was rolled up so that it rested an inch or two above her knees and she wore her blazer unbuttoned, her oxford untucked out of her skirt. Her long hair stood out wildly against the white and navy of her uniform.

"It's different…the people are very…different." Hermione spoke slowly, unsure of how exactly to word how she felt. "I'll get used to it."

"It'll be alright, and you know you'll do better than most new students. You'll have some people to sit with at lunch so that'll be nice." She shrugged her shoulders. "I have to get to class, Professor Lupin will give me a detention if I'm late again."

She stood on her tiptoes and kissed Harry on his cheek and nuzzled his shoulder, waving at Hermione before flouncing off into a thinning crowd of navy. She eyed her course schedule as she walked into the classroom, _Greek History and Theory, that sounds interesting._ She looked up and found herself staring straight into the eyes of Tom Riddle again, he sat in the back of the classroom, his friends surrounding him laughing, throwing papers, and speaking loudly. He paid them no attention, Pansy sat at the desk behind him, trying to speak into his ear. He looked as though he was barely listening, he nodded his head in Hermione's direction but she made no move back. She quickly averted her gaze, feeling somewhat intruded upon by his look. She looked at the desk sitting at the front of the classroom and read the name plaque, _Nyphamdora Tonks._ Hermione quickly realized she was going to enjoy this class thoroughly when the professor, a woman in her mid-twenties, walked through the door. Her hair was an inky purple so dark it almost looked black. She taught her class with such enthusiasm and seemed so young, Hermione found it utterly surprising the school had even hired her as a teacher.

She felt relieved by the time lunch came around, her stomach had begun to make noises towards the end of class and the absolute last thing Hermione needed was for her bodily functions to inform the class of her gnawing hunger. She sat next to Ginny opposite Ron and Harry and steadily met their other friends,

"Pleased to meet you!" A rather tall lanky red headed boy sat next to Ron.

"Pleased to meet _you!"_ A completely identical boy slid next to him, Hermione started. The two boys were so absolutely identical, it was ridiculous that anyone could tell them apart, their freckles even seemed to be in the same locations.

"Hermione, these are my brothers, Fred and George." Ginny nodded at each with her head as she spoke.

"So Hermione, what brings you to old Hogwarts? You didn't come here of your own free will of course." George asked.

"No one does." Finished Fred.

"Unless of course, you're into private schools and the rich posh life." George added.

"You don't look the type though, does she George?"

"No, not at all Fred."

By the end of lunch time, Hermione almost felt as if she had known most of the people for her entire life. Hermione felt a weight slowly fall off her shoulders when she realized how easy it was to talk to Ginny and felt relieved that she'd been stuck with such nice dorm mate. She shuddered at the thought of being shoved into a room with Pansy Parkinson, it had only been a day yet throughout lunch she'd caught her sending snide looks over in her direction. Hermione however felt dread and disappointment when she realized that neither Ron nor Harry would be in her next class.

"Is Professor Snape nice?" Hermione immediately regretted asking as soon as she saw the look that passed between Harry and Ron.

"I wouldn't precisely say he's mean…" Harry's voice trailed off.

"God'll be with you in there Hermione." Ron said, shaking his head.

Harry quickly elbowed Ron as he saw the look on her face. She felt anxiety creep into her bones. She stared at the classroom entrance, the lights were off and she could see that a projector or a television was flashing.

"Well, we're watching a movie so it can't be too terrible right?" She looked up hopefully at the boys, they passed each other another look of pity.

"It'll be alright, maybe he'll go easy on you because it's your first day." Harry clapped her on the shoulder as they began to back up with the rushing student body. "We'll meet you up afterwards, good luck."

"Good luck Hermione." Ron waved her off and they disappeared into the sea of bodies in the hallway.

She stared solemnly at the classroom in front of her, why did she ever decide to take Advanced Gothic Literature was beside her. The school advisor had told her it wasn't a very popular course and that it was incredibly hard, but that only made her want to take it even more. She walked inside the classroom and paused momentarily, Tom Riddle sat in the right side of the room whispering to a very large brawny boy whose face seemed to remind Hermione of a gorilla. She looked around but found that the room only held five desks, one for each student in the class apparently, _are you telling me no other classes are held in this room?_ She began to make her way to the other side of the classroom when she heard him call her name.

"Hermione, over here." She flushed and turned, giving him a small smile. Her good formality refused to ignore him and she went and sat next to him.

"How have you enjoyed your first day so far?" He seemed genuinely interested but she was having a hard time believing it after what she'd heard about him so far.

"It's been pleasant enough." She wouldn't look at him, why did she feel so uncomfortable? He had been nothing but agreeable to her since she'd met him. "I quite like everyone I've met so far."

"So, are you from London?" He asked, he began to take his notebooks out of his school bag.

"Yes, I've lived here all my life actually. My parent's just recently moved to Germany, their dentist-"

"Dentist?" He asked intrigued. "I don't mean to be rude, but how are they able to afford Hogwarts if their dentists?"

Hermione blanched, whether or not he meant to be rude, it was certainly a rude question.

"That's a rather blunt question, don't you think?" She didn't exactly feel comfortable sharing her family's finances with a stranger.

"Of course, I apologize. I'm just curious whether or not you're here on scholarship." He was turned facing her, she felt his eyes digging into the side of her head.

"Why would it matter if I was or wasn't?" She asked, turning to face him. His eyes looked inky and black in the darkness of the classroom, the light flashing from the television on his face.

He looked slightly taken aback by her answer. Hermione turned away and opened her notebook and grabbed a pen from her bag. She looked up quickly as a man walked into the room. Hermione looked over and saw that the room had filled up, a girl with long blonde hair and an incredibly dreamy expression sat next to her and a set of twin girls with black inky hair, she had remembered seeing them at lunch. _Padma and Parvati Patil, isn't that what Ginny said?_ She hadn't yet seen the girl with blonde hair before though. If someone had asked Hermione to draw what Depressed and angry looked like, this would have been the man. His hair was chin length and greasy. He had a hook nose that seemed to match the rest of his very sallow bitter looking face. His skin was pale and his entire outfit seemed to reflect his mood. He wore black trousers with a black jacket with no school emblem and a black button up. He stopped and eyed her with a seeming distaste.

"I'll assume you've already read the books and lesson plans for this class?" He set his bag on the desk and pulled out a stack of worksheets. "You'll need to know the material for today. You'll be comparing the book to its play counterpart, The Innocents."

"Sir, you had quite a large reading list, I'd already read many of the-"

"I don't care to hear of your literary achievements Miss Granger. I simply wish to know if you've read the book."

"Which book sir?" She felt foolish asking. Why was he speaking to her as if she should already know all of this? This was her first day, his reading list had over 50 books on it, and she couldn't possibly know which book he was speaking of.

"The Turn of the Screw." His voice sounded incredibly annoyed and he emphasized each word as though he spoke to a dunce. Hermione feared any more questions and he would simply ask her to leave.

She pursed her lips and decided the best course of action in this class was to remain as quiet as possible and perhaps she would make it through alive. She had read the book before, but not for the purpose of this class, only out of enjoyment. She faced downwards, her face burning with embarrassment. She didn't dare turn her head because she could already feel Tom Riddle's eyes boring holes into the side of it. Not only did he think her poor, but stupid. _Wonderful._

The rest of class was in silence as they watched the play, which was nearly darker than the book itself. She peaked out of the corner of her eye and saw Tom watching the movie, he was bent over taking notes and looking up at the movie, paying attention closely. Ginny had told Hermione that the entire school was overtly found of Tom Riddle. His grades were nothing but perfect, and professors adored him. Hermione had come to realize that it was only a select few who viewed Riddle the way Ron and Harry did and that it'd be hard to find someone in this school, other than the people she'd coincidentally found herself associated with, who didn't love Tom Riddle.

She was quick to get her things together to leave once the movie had finished, she didn't plan on lingering in this classroom any longer than she would have too, _ever._

"You never answered me earlier." Tom stated, as Professor Snape swept out of the room.

"I know that." She buttoned her bag and looked up at him, his face held a small look of frustration. "I didn't have the intentions too."

"That's a tad rude, don't you think?" He cocked his head at her.

"Almost as rude as asking about one's family finances, _don't you think?_ " Hermione smiled at him and walked out of the room. _Being a bit smart aren't you?_

The rest of Hermione's day swam by in faces and homework, something which Hermione soon realized this school had an abundance of, not that she minded. If anything, Hermione would prefer to sit, read, and do homework rather than go out for a night on the town any day. Harry and Ron introduced her to nearly everyone that they could find. Hermione soon realized that as they pointed people out to her, this school was clearly divided into two groups. Those who families were rich ( _as in, we breath and bleed money and can smell it from a mile away_ ) and those who were simply like her or a little above. Those who were in the higher categories found themselves situated into groups with Tom and his friends and those just found themselves elsewhere. Hermione sighed heavily when she walked into her room to find her trunks and boxes of her things just lying there. _Great, now I get to spend the next five hours sorting and putting all this away._

"Hello!" Ginny burst into the room, nearly frightening Hermione out of her skin. "Oh, sorry. Didn't mean to scare you. Goodness, you've got a lot of stuff, don't you? Need some help?"

"Please?" Hermione pleaded.

Hermione and Ginny spent the next few hours unloading and sorting through nearly all of Hermione's belongings, chatting the whole time. Ginny told her all about her family and their large house which she simply called, "The Burrow." Ginny told her all about her brothers, an older brother Bill who was married to a French model named Fleur Delacour. Another old brother named Charlie, who worked in Romania as a sort of Games Keeper in the Transylvania Forest.

"Do you have any siblings?" Ginny asked, sticking one of Hermione's empty trunks under her bed.

"No, just me. My mum wasn't really able to have any children after me. They didn't really have the time either. I know dentistry isn't really an intense laborious job, but it kept them busy enough to where they really had the time for me and me alone." She shrugged.

"Oh, well it won't be so bad here then. Everyone _adored_ Charlie. Prefect and head boy, and top grades and all. It's hard to live up too," She rolled her eyes. "I wouldn't want to be head boy or girl anyway, their always so pompous. It seems like they base who gets it off of popularity rather than grades and morality anyway."

"Tom Riddle seems quite popular, that makes sense." She spoke casually, but felt unusually curious, why did Ginny and her family hate Tom Riddle so much?  
"His family has power, loads of it. I wouldn't be surprised if his father had blackmailed Tom into the position honestly. I don't understand how the professors and some of the other students don't find him so…creepy."

"Creepy?" Hermione cocked an eyebrow.

"I mean, his friends, they just follow him around everywhere. It's not like Draco Malfoy or Zabini are pleasant people. Just the other day, I caught Draco Malfoy and his stupid fat friends, Crab and Goyle, beating up on an unfortunate 9th year for being poor. You would think if Riddle was so good he would distance himself from people like that, but no. They're his closest friends, and that's just so odd to me you know?"

Hermione nodded her head, she agreed. It was a little strange that the school's star pupil seemed to be followed by nothing but rich spoiled jerks.

"And you know, Harry is absolutely convinced he's into drugs."

"Drugs?" Hermione's voice was so skeptical, it boarded on the edge or sarcasm.

"Harry just really doesn't like him, Ron hates him more of course. Ron has a temper the size of a pea really, anything'll set him off. He's hated Riddle since third year when Draco Malfoy stuck a dead rat in his bag. He claimed Riddle put him up to it because Ron had accidentally smashed his clay bird." Ginny sounded as though she believed it too.

Hermione decided she'd had enough talk about Tom Riddle, she was going to have nearly every class with him for the next two years it seemed, she could talk about him then.

"How long have he and Pansy been…?" The question slipped from her mouth, she wasn't even aware that she wanted to ask it until it promptly came from her mouth.

"I don't think their actually ' _together'_. She hangs around him a lot but he doesn't really pay her any attention. It's really a wonder he hasn't met someone, you know the girls here, they're absolutely wild for him. He may be a complete prat, but he's handsome. There's no denying that. I won't lie though, I might find it hard to be around you at all if you somehow found yourself 'in relations' with him." Ginny stood up, looking around the room. "Looks like we're all done, thank god. I have so much homework to do."

Ginny walked over to her desk and began to file out her homework. Hermione pushed the last of her empty trunks away and decided it was time to start on hers too before she went to bed. She needed something to keep her distracted anyway, she barely had friends yet and she didn't exactly want to think about the fact that her parents were actually gone. It wasn't until about two hours later, with Ginny deep asleep, that it finally hit Hermione that she was going to be stuck in this school, with these people, every day and night for the next two years. A part of her began to panic, her stomach curling in on itself with a sense of dread. What was this year going to do to her?

Hermione's first two weeks of school seemed to fly by in a breeze, and she was beyond grateful for it. The classes themselves did seem to be more challenging than what she was used to, but it was nothing she didn't enjoy. It was only her Gothic Literature class where she found herself struggling. She didn't actually believe that Professor Snape was out to get her, however there was something in the deep recess of her mind that felt he hated her more than most of his other students. She enjoyed being around Ron and Harry, they gave Hermione the feeling that she belonged here, although Tom's group of friends didn't seem to forget that she didn't.

She was quick to realize that if you weren't as filthy rich as Tom or his friends, it was completely pointless to try and be friendly, or even social to their group. Although Hermione couldn't tell anyone positively, she had been called Mudblood several times. A term which Ron had explained meant she was poor and new, a name given to only a lucky few students. It was meant to be insulting but Hermione found it inane to say the least. She was however, incredibly positive, that she had been shoved, purposely, bumped into, and tripped on several occasions by Draco Malfoy and a few of his friends (all of course when Tom wasn't around). Nothing seemed to ever happen when Tom Riddle was around.

More along to the fact of Tom Riddle, Gothic Literature also seemed to be the perfect class for Tom to completely pester her with an ungodly amount of questions about herself and where she was from. If Hermione hadn't known any better, she would assume he was trying to write a book about her. Hermione had taken heed from the advice from her new friends. She had no reason to distrust or find fault in anything Ron, Harry, or Ginny had told her so far so she did her best to keep her distance from Tom Riddle. She barely spoke to him, answering his questions in single syllables (if answering them at all) and sometimes just straight up lied to him, which he was somehow (creepily) able to detect immediately.

Tom seemed to have taken this to heart because he had begun to battle Hermione, not physically but mentally. It seemed to Hermione that every class that she had with Tom Riddle had become some sort of academic war, who could answer the most questions, who could turn the quiz in first, who got the higher grade (at the moment, Tom was winning by a measly 2%). Hermione wasn't sure why he had taken such a sudden interest in besting her, or just any interest in her at all.

 _Professor Snape had left the classroom, he had ordered a new set of books for them to read and they apparently couldn't be delivered without a signature. He had left the small class with a warning and left. Hermione almost groaned aloud, for as soon as he left, Tom Riddle turned in his seat, prepared for their daily talks which always seemed to be along the same lines._

 _"I'm simply being friendly," Tom remarked, his voice edged with a hindrance of annoyance._

 _"I don't wish to be friendly." She held her nose up high. Earlier today Draco Malfoy seemed to have find it funny to "accidentally" smack a large pile of papers out of her hand and then stand over a majority of them as she tried to pick them up. He "apparently" couldn't hear her when she repeatedly asked him to move. Hermione had no doubts that Tom knew what his friends were like._

 _"I've done nothing to you. That makes absolutely no sense." He was becoming more exasperated by the second._

 _"Honestly, I don't know why you don't give up. I obviously have no intentions to tell you anything about myself."_

 _"You're just being difficult Hermione, I know you want to tell me things, you just won't let yourself be happy." His voice dropped an octave._

 _"Oh please, are you actually that full of yourself?" She rolled her eyes, why wouldn't he leave her alone. "Do you bother all new students like this, or just the ones that don't tell you their life stories?"_

 _"I won't lie Hermione, I usually get what I want."_

 _"Well Tom Riddle, for once in your life. You might actually have to work for something." She looked him dead in the eyes, a small smile had curled into his lips. Professor Snape walked back into the room, his appearance ending all conversation, but a small smile still played on Tom's lips._

It wasn't just Hermione who had come to notice the silent battle that was happening between Hermione and Tom. Ginny was kind enough to bring it to her attention that Tom rarely spoke to any girl (sans Pansy who was hardly a girl at all from the way she acted) or male the way he bantered with her. Ginny had even gone as far to ask if Hermione had said something to him or if he liked her? Whether or not Ginny believed her when she told her she really had no idea why he was doing what he was, Pansy Parkinson wasn't having it. She went farther than Draco, purposely shoving Hermione into the walls when she walked by or just openly calling her a slut when she happened to pass by. If it hadn't been for the new friends she had acquired, she would have almost felt like she was going crazy from all of it.

"Tom really seems out to show you whose best, doesn't he?" Ron whispered to Hermione during Biochemistry. She was hardly paying him any attention, she glared over in the direction of Tom who had an incredibly smug look on his face.

"I'm not sure why he's so set on proving he's smarter than me, he's acting childish." She scoffed.

"You're not exactly helping the situation by showing him back up…" Ron trailed off, his ears turning a light shade of red.

"I'm not going to sit here and let him make me out to be some kind of dunce!" She whispered back, her voice harsh.

She quickly signed her name on the paper as Tom began walking towards the front of the class room. _He was just waiting for me to finish, so he could race me to the front of the room, how absolutely juvenile._ Hermione mentally roller her eyes as she reached the desk with Tom standing next to her.

"If it isn't my two brightest students, fighting for the spotlight eh?" Slughorn's loud voice made Hermione blush.

"Hermione has been kind enough to let me tutor her with some of her classes, she's been struggling." Hermione gasped and turned to face him, outraged at his blatant lie.

"I beg your pardon?" She demanded, the small smile on his face sending fire into her veins.

"There's no need to be ashamed Miss Granger, Tom's a wonderful boy! Always helping those who need it!" Slughorn laughed merrily, his voice grating to her ears.

Hermione found herself sputtering in indignation, her face burning with anger. However, any response that could have come from her mouth was hindered by the bell that chimed from the speakers in the classroom, signaling the end of class.

"Really Hermione, it's not lady-like to hold your mouth open like that, you might catch flies." Tom's smile flashed in her direction before he walked out of the room, leaving Hermione boiling in his wake.

"He hasn't really been tutoring you-"

"No Ron! He hasn't!" She burst out, returning to the desk to grab her things.

How _dare_ he just up and lie to the professor like that. He thought he was going to win now, making everyone think he was tutoring her and making her look like she wasn't as smart. She had half the mind to go find him and shove every single paper she'd received higher marks on than him up his arse.

"Hermione, where are you going?" Ron asked suddenly, she'd made up her mind. She was going to find and tell off Tom Riddle.

"I'm going to be late, I'll meet you in a second." She stood on her tiptoes, narrowing her eyes to look for his head.

She spotted him, but he was going downstairs. She watched his head disappear around the corner to the staircase and followed, the bell ringing as lingering students made their ways into their rooms, doors shutting behind them. The hallway was empty and Hermione made it to the staircase and almost shouted. He was standing right there, looking expectantly up at her.

"What in God's name-"She placed a hand over her heart, glaring at him.

"You mean, what in my name?" A devilish smile took upon his face.

"Oh, how charming. You think so highly of yourself don't you?" She spat sticking her finger into his chest. "You need to go back to Professor Slughorn _right now_ and tell him the truth! I have never in my life had a tutor for anything. I don't need some, some stupid preppy rich boy's help in the grade I get. You're just ashamed some poor-"

"So you admit it, you _are_ poor." He smiled, his teeth were pearly white and slightly crooked, Hermione had the urge to punch them all in.

"That's not the point Tom Riddle! What are you even trying to get at? Why in the world are you making all of this some war? Because I won't tell you anything about myself? Will you leave me alone if I tell you?" She felt a shock when she realized her finger was still in his chest and jumped to remove her hand.

"Honestly Hermione, at this point, I'm enjoying myself far too much to just stop and be done. You know you enjoy it too, you wouldn't have followed me to this empty staircase in between classes if you didn't. Really, what will everyone think when they find out that you were _alone_ with me?" His voice was casual but it made Hermione want to strangle him all the more.

"You're crazy Riddle, you need help. Actually, it might be too late for help, have you considered pushing yourself down a flight of stairs?" Her eyes slotted in anger, she couldn't believe he was getting to her this way.

"It all depends, will it be you pushing me? I've often heard love hurts." His smile reappeared, Hermione scoffed loudly.

"Is that why you made me meet you-"Hermione was suddenly cut off by Riddle grabbing her, his lips firmly pressing themselves against hers.

Her eyes widened in surprise, her body going slack from the shock of it. His hands gripped her shoulders fiercely, his lips hot and warm against hers. His breath tasted of mint and tea and his lips were so soft and warm it took her a second to firmly comprehend what was even happening, however, it was too late by then.

"MR. RIDDLE! MISS GRANGER! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" Hermione jerked away and her stomach dropped into her stomach, Professor McGonagall stood in shock staring at the both of them from the steps below them.

"I-I-"Hermione stuttered, turning to look at Tom, her head whirling to figure out what exactly was happening, _what the hell just happened. What in God's name…oh my God._ It all clicked when she saw a very confident smug smile pass quickly over Tom's lips at Hermione before turning in mock shock to face McGonagall.

"Professor…I'm so sorry! We were just-"

"I'm not blind Mr. Riddle! You of all people should know better! Skipping class…and for this! Of all things! Detention! For the both of you! And Miss Granger, you've only been here two weeks!" Her voice was stern and Hermione's stomach felt like it was melting into her feet, her mouth remained open in shock. "I'll be calling both of your parents about this! You two should be ashamed of yourselves!"

"Of course…I'm sorry professor." Tom's voice held a fake disappointed tone, he hung his face down in shame. Hermione stared at him, her mouth gaping.

"Do you have anything to say for yourself Miss Granger?" McGonagall turned to her, demanding some sort of apology of explanation, none of which she could muster.

"I…I'm sorry." She hung her head down, but her face burned, not with embarrassment but with such a deep anger it was a surprise to her at all that she wasn't strangling the boy in front of her at this very moment.

"Both of you, off to class! You can both come to my office after lunch. Now off, go!" McGonagall walked them back up the staircase, watching as they made their way up the hallway.

"You are without a doubt, the largest dick I've ever come to know. You did that on purpose, you _knew_ she would be there." Hermione whispered through clenched teeth.

"Oh Hermione, I've only just begun."


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note: So if the paragraphs are a little screwed up, it's because every time I moved my work from my google doc's to Word, it would screw all the paragraphing up and I would have to manually go in and fix it. I'm using a flashdrive from now on because this is absolutely ridiculous and annoying.**

 **I know we are all waiting for the tenth chapter in What They Don't Know, and I've got literally 90% written but I'M STUCK BECAUSE I CAN'T THINK OF SOMETHING TO USE IN THE STORY AND I CAN'T TELL YOU WHAT OR ASK FOR HELP BECAUSE IT'LL GIVE EVERYTHING AWAY. Anyway, so here's this while everyone is so patiently waiting. Enjoy this incredibly long chapter three. Expect longer chapters which unfortunately results in longer waits. Review this junk for me though! Even if it's just to say. You're a fucking terrible corny writer and you need to stop. I'll take it, I can hold criticism.**

 **I like this chapter though.**

If there was some physical way to show how unbelievably livid Hermione felt, she might have possibly melted so far down into the earth, they wouldn't have been able to retrieve her. She sat across from Tom, who had been staring blankly at Hermione for the past five minutes. He had yet to say a word to her, but just the thought or knowledge of him looking at her this long made her want to yank his eyeballs out and choke him with them. She refused to meet his gaze, she didn't think she'd had ever been this angry in her entire life, not even when her best friend Nancy had accidentally killed her hamster.

"Do I have something on my nose?" Her whisper came out loud through her clenched

teeth, her knuckles straining white to keep her hands from killing the boy in front of her.

"If you did, I wouldn't tell you. You're cute when you're irritated, it's entertaining to watch you work yourself over." That stupid smile plastered his face, his stupid handsome face.

"God forbid you ever find me as a partner in Biochemistry Tom, I won't have any hesitations about 'accidentally' spilling acid onto your face." She huffed, turning away from him again, she couldn't stand to look at him. "I'll never tell you anything now you know, I can't believe you did this."

"You didn't exactly push me away though," He leaned  
back against the chair, grabbing a wooden puzzle from the table next to him. "You enjoyed every second of it."

"You kiss like a sick rabies infected dog." She spat, something in the back of her head whispered that she was lying. "It's no wonder why you don't have a girlfriend Tom."

"Oh Hermione, there's no point in lying. Listen, I'll make you a deal. You tell me you  
liked it and tell me everything about yourself, and I'll stop everything. I'll be done, right here and right now, tell me and mum's the word." A mischievous look came about his face as he spoke.

"You're so full of it, why should I believe anything you say?" She narrowed her eyes at him.

"Why wouldn't you? I haven't exactly lied to you about anything, now have I?" His face  
became serious. _He was actually being serious, he's not joking. I still don't believe him._

"At this moment in time Riddle, I'd rather stick my tongue into a blender." She looked him straight in the face, doing her best to give him the most callous glare she could muster.

"I can think of a few better places for your tongue." His smile returned and he added a wink for good measure.

"Why…I _never-"_

"Both of you, in my office, now!" McGonagall's door swished open, startling Hermione.

Tom however just continued to stare at Hermione, a small smile lingering on his lips. Hermione made her way back to her classes, her face still tinged with a nasty mixture of embarrassment and anger. Her parents had been shocked, to say the least. They had never known Hermione to be the type of get caught snogging a boy in the hallway, much less snogging the child of one of Europe's most prestigious politicians. Even more mortifying was the fact that McGonagall had made them both sit there through each other's phone calls. While Tom had kept a face of serene  
disappointment and embarrassment on his face the whole time, Hermione was so utterly humiliated at Tom hearing her parents scold her for something that hadn't actually happened, that she almost felt the urge to scream and cry.

"Hermione, you've really upset your father. He really thought differently of you, you

know? You've never done anything like this before, you've-"

"Hermione, this is outrageous. It's only been two weeks, and we've never had a phone call from school before, what do you have to say?" Her father interrupted her mother, his voice a mixture of disbelief and annoyance.

"I'm sorry…I don't know what to say." Hermione's voice was small and weak, she'd never been so ashamed of doing nothing wrong in her entire life.

Tom's phone call had been very different. A part of Hermione suspected that Tom would

probably receive a letter from his father in the future, telling him how proud he was of his son for being such a playboy.

"Tom, you should know better." His father's voice sounded distant, unconcerned.

"Yes father, I'm sorry." Hermione felt the thick lie poisoning her veins, it burned her insides. She could kill him, she really could.

"If I receive another phone call from the school about your behavior or any

incidents like this, there will be punishment, do you understand?" _He probably means punishment as in, he'll give Tom nine hundred dollars rather than his weekly allowance of a thousand._

"Yes Sir, I understand." Tom spoke with his face down, speaking into his knees. Hermione noticed how easy it would for her to slam his head into the desk in front of them. _So  
easy…all I have to do is just one hand on the back of his head…and bam. That's all I have to do…_

"I hope you two feel disappointed in yourselves for acting so puerilely. You two will of  
course have detention after dinner for a week. The school's groundskeeper needs help in pulling weeds from the gardens. I'm sure you two will be capable of helping her?" McGonagall's question was of course rhetorical, she didn't care whether they were or not.

"Yes Ma'am." They replied in unison, Hermione still found herself speaking through her teeth.

"I wonder how the school will feel about our little predicament." Tom wondered aloud, as they neared their class.

"You _wouldn't dare."_ Hermione dug her nails so deep into her palms, she was shocked they weren't dripping blood.

"You underestimate me. Like I said, I always get what I want." He grabbed the door, opening it and swishing his hand dramatically, allowing her to enter first.

The class paused, staring at Hermione as she walked in, handing her tardy excuse to Professor Moody. Hermione was sure that if his glass eye could, it would have matched his other eye in an equal glare. Then the class exploded with whispers, Tom had walked in behind her, handing his note to the professor. Professor Moody's eyebrows rose, a very dark look coming over his face as he read their notes. He said nothing as Hermione, whose face was now burning red as she made her way to her seat. She was sure she knew what this looked like. Tom had a small smile on his face, giving the class exactly what they wanted. He was

simply telling everyone without saying a word exactly what happened.

Moody glared them down for a second longer before continuing his lesson, turning to face the board continuing the equation he had been writing. Hermione could keep eyes boring into her skull from behind her, but she chose to pay them no attention. She felt a nudge under her hand and looked over, Ron had shoved a small piece of paper under her fist and was pointedly looking at it then at her. A part of her felt the need to ignore it but she couldn't find it in herself to ignore Ron in such an unjustified manner.

-Where were you? What happened and why in the bloody hell did Riddle look so smug?

-She caught me telling Tom off in the stairwell and assumed something else was happening.

-You weren't actually doing anything…were you?

-NO!  
-We were just talking and she didn't believe us.

-He looks like he just finished getting off with you, the whole class is going to think something else.

-I know. Thank you.

Hermione didn't quite feel like writing anything else after that, she knew that if she just waited the day out, nothing else could possibly happen. Tom surely wouldn't want people thinking he had been caught with some poor scholarship girl in the stairwell.

"Riddle! Passing notes! Looking for a double whammy today,  
are we?" Moody growled, his artificial leg squeaked as he made his way between the desks to Tom and Malfoy's desk.

Tom made no move, his face reddened slightly and laid his head down in mock embarrassment.

"What's it say then?" Moody demanded, picking the note up. His face twisted when he

read it, laying it back down on Tom's desk. "Read it then, aloud for everyone."

Hermione didn't have to be a completely nitwit to know exactly what the note was going to say and what his intentions were. A part of her was simply begging, no pleading, for the note to say exactly what hers had said. _Surely this boy, this stupid insignificant insipid teenage boy, is not doing what I think he is. He is simply helping Malfoy with his homework, nobody is this evil. Nobody._

Tom's voice shook as he spoke and Hermione felt nausea wash up into her throat, blood draining from her face as he began to read. Hermione imagined that if the student's here paid half as much attention to their professors as they were to Tom at this very moment, the entire student body would have a perfect 4.0 GPA.

"What happened there? ;

I received detention from Professor McGonagall." At this moment, Hermione heard a few choice students gasp. _Oh my god, they're actually shocked. They're shocked that this boy actually received detention._

 _\- "_ With the new girl? ;

\- McGonagall caught us in the stairwell;

\- Doing what? ;

\- What do you think?"

At this point, all hell broke loose. Students began whispering and heads turned so fast, Hermione half expected them to fly off their necks. Her face felt like it was filling with molten lava, she couldn't breathe. Tom had paused, his face turning a light shade of red. _How in the hell is he able to do that? How the bloody hell can he just fake emotions like that?!_ Her body seemed to be frozen in some absolute horror as she fully took into comprehension what was going on around her.

"That's enough…That's enough! Everyone quiet!" The entire room silenced but Hermione still saw student's turning back and forth. "Sit down Riddle…that's quite enough. Give me that. Pass notes again and I'll have McGonagall read them over the loud-speaker."

Hermione felt an icy heat surging through her veins. She was facing her desk, refusing to look at anything or listen to another word that her professor had to say. He wasn't joking, he was literally going to torture her and torment her until she gave him what she wanted. _No, I will not give up this easy. I'm mature and I can handle this, I know the truth and my friends will believe me and I'm not going to let him ruin anything for me._

Hermione spent the rest of class listening to her classmates whispering behind her. _Tom_ _never snogs anyone, I can't believe he made out with_ _ **her.**_ _She's only been here for two weeks, how'd she get to him so quick. I can't believe she's pulled Tom into trouble like that, he's so_

 _nice and sweet._ Hermione temper was at his breaking point by the time she left class, Ron and Harry chasing after her as she reached into the hall.

"I thought you said nothing happened!" Ron demanded, his face looked almost angry.

"I wasn't lying! Nothing happened! You were right about him, he's evil! He's making this all up and…I'm telling the truth, why are you looking at me like that?!" Harry and Ron were both giving her an odd expression.

"Nothing happened, I swear. He lured me down into the stairwell and when McGonagall came across us she figured we had been doing something."

"Why would he lie about that?" Harry gave her an inquiring look.

"I don't know Harry, to ruin my life I suppose. I haven't done anything to him. I guess he just doesn't like knowing there's a girl out there with less money than him who's just as smart and talented." Hermione snapped.

"Well, whatever you've done, you need to fix it or he'll have your head on a spike by the end of the week." Harry said, his face full of a small kind of pity.

Hermione looked over passed her shoulder and saw Tom talking to some of his fellow friends, he looked up, as though he felt her watching him. They stared at each other blankly before Tom's lips finally cracked into a small roguish smile and he winked. Hermione suddenly felt the urge to faint.

_)_(_

Hermione had been in detention with Tom for three days now, and a part of her thought that if she had to be near him any longer, her brain would simply implode on itself from pure annoyance. It had only been one day and the entire school seemed to suddenly know what had happened between the two of them in the stairwell. Hermione was completely amazed at the attention she had begun receiving. Tom's friends especially had taken the news to heart, almost ninety percent of them believing Hermione was some evil seductress. Tom seemed to be at no fault, as far as the rumor had gone (or as Tom had told the story), Tom had been going down to his dorm to find a missing text book and Hermione had chased him down. She simply grabbed him and kissed him, unable to keep her hands off of him. Hermione had nearly blew chunks when Ginny had informed her of the story.

It seemed that the only people who truly believed Hermione hadn't grabbed Tom and kissed him off the stairwell were Ron, Harry, Ginny, and a few other choice people. Hermione had a sense that the only reason they believed her was because it probably put their theory to rest that there actually was something off about Tom.

Detentions were Hermione's personal hell, being that these were the first detentions she had ever received. Hermione had never been one to break the rules, ever. So it was merely the fact that she found herself trapped in the very far-side of the school grounds with Tom and some old groundskeeper who seemed to have the vision and hearing of a dying dog that drove her crazy. Due to the fact that the groundskeeper usually stayed at least forty feet from them (she seemed to think students were all diseased and disgusting…or at least she did from the way she treated them) Tom was able to bother Hermione relentlessly throughout the entire two hours they spent yanking weeds from the ground.

"I'm beginning to really enjoy our quality time together, Hermione. I must admit, it's rather pleasing." Tom had just returned from taking a wheelbarrow of weeds to the dumpster.

"Quit talking to me." Hermione had lost count of how many times she had simply told him to shut it, bugger off, belt up, or simply shut the hell up. Ignoring him did no use because then he would simply start pestering her with annoying useless facts, asking her questions and assuming when she didn't answer, and just teasing her obstinately.

"You can't possibly still be mad at me for that whole kiss thing, now can you? I mean it _was_ your fault. I gave you fair warning and you ignored it, you _obviously_ wanted me to do it." He moved unnaturally close to Hermione who was doing her best to ignore his presence.

"Riddle, I swear to god. If you come any closer to me, I will shove this damn bloody shovel up your goddamn arse." Hermione growled, her body holding itself back from keeping to her words.

"So feisty, I love that in a woman."

"Have you ever actually been with a woman Tom?" Hermione finally looked up at him, she wanted to catch him off guard. That seemed to be physically impossible.

"Have you ever been with a man?" He asked, his perfectly arched eyebrow raising.

"Wouldn't you like to know? I wouldn't be surprised if you'd never been with a woman, it would certainly explain a lot." She said haughtily.

"Well, from the way you kiss Hermione, I could make the same assumption."

"Excuse me?" Hermione looked up at him. _My kissing is NOT that bad._

"I don't think you've ever actually been kissed." He looked over to see what the groundskeeper was doing and turned back to Hermione. "I think Tuesday was the closest you've ever been to a boy."

"Oh and you've kissed so many women then have you?" Hermione had no intentions of telling him he was correct, he in fact _was_ the first boy she had ever kissed.

Growing up, Hermione hadn't exactly been very pretty nor popular. Although her last few years of High school had given her a slightly more attractive appearance, she still wasn't the most appealing girl out there. Her hair had definitely calmed down. The curls that once sprayed out from her head in every direction were now tamed (thanks mostly to hair products). She was still slightly lanky, but her body had for the most part grown into itself. Her chest was nothing impressive, something that when she was teased by boys they always seemed to mention.

"Enough to know that I can tell when someone has no experience."

"You don't know anything about me, remember?" Hermione had no interest in having a conversation about her love life with someone who was out to completely ruin her life in general. "How could you assume to know the number of boys I've kissed if you can't even tell me my middle name?"

"How's about we guess then? I'll tell you what, you give me three guesses for your middle name and if I'm wrong, I'll fix _some_ of the damage I've done. If I get it right then you let me show you how a real kiss is done." A frisky smile played on his face.

"Why on earth would I agree to that?" She felt a blush creeping into her face. "Those are absolutely terrible conditions."

"But you see Hermione, you don't exactly have a choice, now do you? I can continue to make your life a living hell you know? Nobody can see us out here except for old Merryweather and she's certainly paying no attention. Who knows what we could be doing out here." His voice took a false innocence.

"You know, in some places, this could be considered a form of blackmail or harassment." She forcefully pulled a weed from the bed, spraying the air with dirt and fertilizer.

"If you're not careful, I'll have to tell Merryweather you're destroying her garden. She won't be too happy about that." He was carefully pulling the weeds out, patting down the dirt after he finished.

"Am I allowed to negotiate the terms of the agreement?"

"Why? Are you wanting more than one kiss?" He winked at her.

"No, God no," Hermione retorted, her voice took on a shrill edge to it. "I want you to tell everyone what really happened. I want the school to know what their little perfect head boy is actually like."

"Hmm…" He put a gloved finger on his face, mimicking deep thought. "No. I don't negotiate, sorry. You can either agree to the terms or suffer the consequences."

"That's unfair Tom, you're not playing fair!" Hermione was trying to weigh the choices in her mind. If she said no, he was obviously just going to make things worse and continue to let the school hate her and believe she was some simple whore who seduced the school's sweetheart. There of course was the chance, the very high chance, that he would lose and have to fix it for her (but he did say partially) and the very slim chance (which Hermione was giving him a 15% chance) that he would guess her middle name.

"Take it or leave it, of course. I would chose the first of the latter." He shrugged. "The school is probably already talking up a storm knowing how we are together…almost completely alone. Imagine what they're thinking…" He trailed off.

"Fine! Fine! God, fine! You're a nutter! A complete nutter!" She exclaimed, her stomach was filling with a sense of dread. _There is absolutely no way he can possibly know my middle name._

"Alright, let me look for a second." He dramatically began to closely examine her, looking at her hair and clothes. He came within an inch of her face, looking into her eyes. Hermione froze, she could smell his cologne, and it was a musky scent she couldn't place. Almost like pine trees and a smoldering fire.

He reached and picked up her arm, pretending to examine the limb. Hermione ripped her hand out of his grasp, glaring at him. A small smile reached the corner of his lips as he continued to walk around Hermione where she was kneeling. She sat up slightly, crossing her arms and leaning back on her feet, an exasperated look on her face as she patiently waited for him to finish.

"Is it…Elaine?" The look that had come upon his face had Hermione feeling incredibly nervous. _He already knows…he's just toying with me._

"No." She replied, her stomach was twisting and churning, a part of her felt slightly sick.

Tom came around behind her, she sat still, her limbs acting as if they were for some reason full of lead. Her cardigan suddenly felt very itchy against her throat and her skin began to prickle. She turned to look at him, narrowing her eyes in distrust. He reached to pick up a lock of her hair and Hermione slid her hand out and slapped it away. Her gaze on him grew colder, an incredibly knowing smile on his face.

"Hmm...okay. How's about…Ginger?" His smile was growing, Hermione felt the acidic feel of bile rising slowly in the back of her throat. _Why the hell did I agree to this, he already knew. I'm so stupid, he's head boy. He already fucking knew. He read it somewhere and he's known this entire time._

"No." She said, _why am I whispering?_

Tom took his time guessing the last one, he moved in until his face was almost pressed to hers, as if he was getting ready to tell her a secret, his body merely inches away from hers. She sat still, waiting for him to say it. The anticipation rising in her throat, her lungs holding any air that wished to escape from her body.

"Is it Jean?" His voice was hot and low in her ear, his breath blew softly against her lobe. She shivered slightly and felt a large wave of anxiety splash over her.

"You already knew, that's not fair." She sat still as he leaned back, a smooth satisfied smile resting on his lips.

"You should've thought of that before you agreed." He replied simply. "What time shall we arrange our lesson then?"

"A lesson, is that what we're going to call it? I was thinking more along the lines of unwanted sexual harassment." She spat back.

"You can call it what you like, we both know how much you're really looking forward to it." Hermione didn't get a chance to respond, Mrs. Merryweather had returned from ignoring them to come examine their work.

It was an hour later they found themselves walking back up to the school, the sun slowly making it's way to the edge of the grass facing them. Hermione's hand were covered in blisters and her clothes smudged with dirt. Tom, for some unknown reason, looked as he had when he had come out. His clothes had hardly any dirt or grass on them and his hands looked pristine. This seemed to press Hermione's aggravation even further with him.

"I'll meet you at 12:00 then, in the common room. The professors make rounds at 11:30 and 1:00 so that will give me an hour to do what I need. I don't accept lateness." He turned, his voice taking on the tone of a stern professor.

"You don't think Ginny will find it mysterious if I just up and leave the room for an hour at midnight? That doesn't seem at all suspicious to you?"

"That's not my problem now is it?" He winked at her, walking off towards his dorm room, opposite the entrance to the girls.

She watched him walk off before trudging up to the girl's dormitory to retrieve her lavatory bag. Ginny was already in the room in bed, watching a movie on her laptop under her covers.

"Oh hey, I didn't expect you to be- God! What did she have you two doing? Rolling around in the dirt?" She looked repulsed when she finally looked up to see her appearance.

"Would you be at all surprised to know Tom looks as though he fell from heaven when we finished?" Hermione removed her dirty shoes, setting them on a mat next to the door. "I have no idea how he managed to stay so bloody clean."

"Hermione, I don't mean to be rude, but you smell like a cow's arse." Hermione couldn't take it, she burst out laughing. "You're going to take a shower right?"

"Actually, I was going to ask if you minded sharing a bunk tonight." Hermione inched closer to Ginny who edged quickly away.

"I know you don't want to hear it, but you should at least hear it from me rather than anyone else. Everyone's been talking about you and Riddle being alone for detention you know." Ginny looked like she was preparing for a bomb to go off.

Hermione sighed and just hung her head. If Hermione Granger was anyone else, she might have called her parents and begged them to send her off to a different school. She would have sat in her room sulking, crying, or even getting into the faces of the people who were saying these things and going off on them, but she wasn't. She _is_ Hermione Granger so she simply took it with a grain of salt and did her best to ignore the fact that the entire school seemed to be closing in on her for something that had never happened.

"I know. There's nothing I can do about it. Everyone here hates me, loves Tom. It doesn't matter that he kissed me, I'm the bad guy. How is anyone that stupid anyway? If Tom is so smart and such a great guy, how did I manage to seduce someone like him anyway? That makes no sense." She made her way to the door. "Anyway, I'll be back. Don't wait up."

Hermione was thankful nobody was in the showers when she reached them. Most students showered very early in the morning before classes or immediately after dinner. Hermione had found that waiting for a shower was one of worst experiences of the latter that she was facing since the entire ordeal. Girl's would cut in front of her, stealing the shower she was waiting for, or steal items out of her bag. She had quickly learned to keep her bag directly in front of her in the shower after her body wash went missing three times. By the time Hermione was able to shower, the other girl's had taken a majority of the hot water and she was left with their lukewarm leftovers.

She relished in the hot water, washing away all the soil and dirt from her hands and scrubbing softly at the burning blisters on her palms. She couldn't believe she had been dumb enough to take a bet with Tom. She knew it hadn't honestly mattered, Tom didn't quite seem like the type to keep his word unless it involved making her look worse than she already did. Tom did nothing to staunch the rumors that the student body had begun to spread about her. He simply let the school think that she had slept with half of the boys at her former school. He simply stood and listened as Pansy Parkinson informed her entire Advanced Calculus class that Hermione had actually been kicked out of her old school for having been caught in a cleaning cupboard with another boy.

She would have loved to inform the entire school that it was _Tom_ who had kissed _her_ , and it was Tom that relentlessly teased and flirted with her, no matter how much she ignored him. She wished the entire school had been there to watch Tom trick her into a bet that allowed him the right to kiss her again. She looked at the clock that hung in the bathroom, she still had a solid two hours before she had to meet Tom in an empty common room.

By the time she had returned to her dormitory, Ginny had passed out. Her laptop laying on the floor next to her and drool accumulating on her pillow. She walked over to her dresser and paused momentarily, _what do I wear to go sneak off and snog a boy in the common room?_ This was a dilemma she had never actually faced before. She could just wear her regular pajamas, a simple pair of sweatpants and raggedy shirt but she couldn't imagine the amount of teasing she would receive for dressing poor in front of Tom. She couldn't even think of why she cared what she was going to wear, she didn't even care what he thought.

Hermione finally decided a part of her cared (simply because she didn't wish to be on the teasing end of this situation) and chose a tee-shirt her mother had bought her a few years back that now fit her rather tightly. She opted for a pair of sweatpants either way because they at least looked slightly new and presentable. She sat at her desk, attempting to do some homework while she waited but eventually decided against it after she read the same paragraph at least ten times over a period of thirty minutes, taking in none of it.

It was now eleven thirty and whoever was in charge of checking the student's dorm for sneaking students would be making their rounds. She felt fidgety and a part of began to feel such an anxiety that she couldn't sit still. She was sitting in pure darkness, she had turned the lamp off after she'd given up on her homework in hopes of making sure Ginny stayed asleep. Her stomach felt like it was trying to eat itself from within, her palms becoming slightly sweaty. The clock above their dorm door clicked softly, Hermione began counting them to the minute. The minute hand finally reached 11:55 and Hermione stood up, her legs wobbling under the unease her body was experiencing.

She was quiet as a mouse opening the door and she took her time walking down to the common room. She reached the corner before the room and took an incredibly large breath before stepping around the corner to a very empty common room. She huffed, annoyed that he was late. She knew he was late because she was late.

"Waiting for someone?" A voice behind her against the wall caused her to jump and stumble back, bumping into the couch.

"Tom! Bloody hell! What if I had screamed!?" She asked, smacking him the shoulder.

"Then we would have been caught and you would've been in an even bigger predicament than we are now, wouldn't you?" He said, looking at her as if she were stupid.

She glared at him before taking in his appearance. He wore a plain white tee shirt and a very soft looking pair of men's pajama bottoms. He wore a pair of black socks on his feet and he still looked as though he had just left a men's modeling add.

"Can we get this over with? I have class in the morning and I don't want to get caught." She crossed her arms and stared at him expectantly, but her body argued with her. Her heart was starting to beat a little faster and her stomach felt as though it were a hot twisted piece of rubber pipe.

"So eager, aren't we?" He smiled. "Come with me then, sit." He pointed at the couch Hermione had backed into a second ago.

"Good, now close your eyes-"

"Tom, this is stupid, just kiss-"

"I said, close your eyes." His voice was commanding, and Hermione sighed with annoyance and shut her eyes pursing her lips. "Relax….Hermione relax. I'm not going to smack you. You won't enjoy this if you're as stiff as a board."

"I'm not going to enjoy this either way-"

"Now," He interrupted her again. "Relax. That's slightly better. Now tilt your head…no not like that, like this."

She froze when she felt his hands touch her bare skin, one hand placed onto her shoulder and the other on her chin and cheek forcing her head to tilt to very small angle. He didn't say anything else and she felt much too nervous to open her eyes. She jumped slightly when she felt his fingers smooth over her lips, her body shivering slightly as his touch. She wasn't sure how, but she felt his body move closer without seeing it. She could feel the warmth of his chest as he reached towards her. He used what felt like his thumb to slightly part her lips and then she could taste his breath from how close he was. It was a sweet mint and it caused her tongue to tingle. She felt his hand come onto her face and then it happened. His lips pressed against hers, so lightly that it was almost like it didn't happen. He softly did it again and her body relaxed so incredibly so that she was surprised it didn't just fall limp. The grip of his hand tightened suddenly and his hand reached around and pulled her head closer, kissing Hermione more fiercely.

At first, she sat still. Unable to think of feel exactly what was happening, her head twisting to move around the fact that she was sitting in the middle of the common room making out with the boy who had ruined her life in no less than a week's time span. Finally, her mind went blank and her body began to react. She had no experience kissing what so ever but her body seemed to know what to do out of pure instinct. Her lips moved deftly with his to meet his kiss and her lips parted to allow his tongue to sweep across and her hands moved free of their own will to suddenly grip Tom and pull him as close as his body would allow. Tom's hand's suddenly moved and gripped Hermione around her waist, allowing Hermione's hands to interlock into his hair. His body fell back, pulling her with him so that she was laying on top of him, straddling him slightly. One hand fell to his chest to hold herself and the other still gripping his hair firmly. If Hermione hadn't known any better, she would have thought she had been doing this her entire life.

His hands gripped her around her waist, his fingers digging into her hips as he worked to kiss her harder. His mouth moving to taste Hermione like her lips were his only source of oxygen. Hermione's train of thought was in turmoil, her brain firing colors and words that she couldn't exactly comprehend. Her chest pressed so closely to Tom's, she couldn't quite tell one thudding heartbeat from another. His touch and kiss were thick and he worked to press Hermione's body into his even harder, his hips rolling heavily against her body. Hermione couldn't have told anyone how long this went on, their hands and body's twisting and grabbing and searching to fill any empty space and their lips moving so steadily against one another's that it was as if their bodies were in complete synch with each other.

It wasn't until a chime tolled, signaling twelve thirty had arrived that Hermione finally pulled away, her body gasping for breath. Her chest heaving and her skin burning to recover the loss of contact that she had created. Tom looked incredibly dazed, looking around, blinking swiftly. Hermione's head cleared and she very quickly pulled herself off Tom, standing up and her face burning heavily from embarrassment. _Oh God, what have I done? What the hell just happened?_

"That was definitely an improvement." Tom said, still blinking as though to clear his head. "Of course, we'll have more time to work on it-"

"Absolutely not!" She said turning to him in shock. "The bet was only for one time and that was it! Why on earth would I subject myself to that again?"

"Well, because I said so." He said simply.

"You expect me to do whatever you say?" She said, her lips felt swollen and she unconsciously found herself touching them with her fingers.

"Listen," He sat up and his face became very serious. "We can either do this the easy way, where you listen and do as I tell you. Things will be much easier for you if you just do what I want when I want it." He stood up and his face seemed to flash with a sudden darkness. "I get what I want Hermione, and you've piqued my interest. I know powerful people and I'm capable of very powerful things. I enjoy our little talks and I plan to enjoy more of our meetings like this. Of course, there is always the hard way. You can walk away and I can continue to make your life here at this school a living hell. Surely, you wish to put this entire thing with the school behind you. You can lie to me all you want and tell me you didn't enjoy what just happened and tell me that you hate our little talks and arguments, but your only lying to yourself."

Hermione clenched her teeth and a very hot surge of anger rushed through her. She stared back at him hard, but her body seemed to wind down in fear. He was just a boy, what kind of power could he even have access too. _He's wrong, I hate him and I hate his stupid soft mouth and his stupid perfect face and his stupid perfect body…_ Hermione felt such a livid spout of hatred fused with such a powerful bout of passion her body seemed to be confused on whether she should punch him in the face, or kiss him until her lips bleed.

"You're not leaving me much of a choice are you?" She asked, her voice low with anger.

"There is no real choice in this." The darkness she had seen a second ago vanished, and he shrugged noncommittally.

"What are the terms of this new agreement then?" She asked, turning away from him, examining some items on the shelf nearby.

"We will meet, like this. More than once a week, and a few other things that I have in mind…the usual." He said, coming behind her. "You'll learn to love me eventually. Like I said, I always get what I want Hermione. Does it really bother you so much that I want you?"

"Are you so used to getting what you want that you have to result to blackmail, harassment, and dirty tricks to get a girl to pretend to like you Tom?" She asked, turning around and jumping slightly at how close she found herself to him.

"Are you so used to not having any attention, that it takes me tricking you into kissing me to make you realize you actually like too?" A smile began to creep its way to his face.

"I wish people could see what a truly evil little douche you truly are, Tom Riddle. It honestly boggles my mind the way you trick people into thinking you're a sweet, innocent, little boy."

"You didn't think I was so evil a second ago on the couch." He smirked.

"I was just doing what you asked me to do." Her face grew hot.

"I never asked you to straddle me and run your hands all over my body." He said, his crooked teeth showing.

She sighed angrily and eyed the clock, they only had a few minutes before someone made a round back into the common room to make sure there was nobody there. She could either live in miserable hatred from the entire school for the next two years and live under the constant irritation of Tom poking and prodding her for a reaction, or she could just agree to his terms and make things possibly considerably a hundred times worse and agree to be aggravated by Tom willingly. Some deep part of her was churning over the fact that her body had reacted so profoundly to his touch and kiss and the way he looked at her. Nothing would change the fact that just the sight and thought of Tom Riddle seemed to annoy her deeply to her core.

"If I say yes, will you let me go to bed?" She peeked towards the clock again.

"We'll be out here all night otherwise." He said warily.

"Fine."

She had absolutely no idea what she was getting herself into.


	4. Chapter 4

**Authors Note:**

 **So I said it would be coming soon in WTDK and I kept my word. Don't tell me. I suck at updating, I know. i'm a terrible writer who can't keep anything updated like I'm supposed too.**

 **Worse things have happened though. I feel like this is coming along okay. I'm no J.K. Rowling and honestly, I have no fucking plot for this and I started it like twelve years ago. I think I'm going to sit down sometime tomorrow night and just outline this shit real good. I know I'm working up to a plot right now, but I'm like. what am I working up to here.**

 **And you know what's funny? I actually started writing another Tomione the other day and I'm like. Before I start a third story, I have to work on these two. I can't just keep starting other stories and never finish these two.**

 **BUT THE NEW ONE IS GOOD. but I'm not sure if I'm going to post it.**

 **Anyway. Review because it tells me what I need to work on and if I should just give up. Either way, I'll take criticism on both ends. I'm a chill person, I just enjoy reading reviews.**

 **Enjoy =)**

"You're wrong." Tom said simply looking away from her with his arms crossed.

"No, _you're_ wrong. His dreams all hold a very strong symbolic meaning, especially the dream of the mare being whipped. It symbolizes gratification and punishment." She steamed.

Hermione had never really been the kind to call herself unlucky, however for the past week or so she'd definitely come to use that term more often. Her gothic literature class had taken to reading _Crime and Punishment_ and they were assigned to discuss and write a paper with a partner on the symbolic meaning of his dreams throughout the book. Tom seemed to disagree with her about every single thing that was going to go onto the paper, whether it be the correct placement for punctuation or simply her interpretation of the symbolic meaning.

"It symbolizes a contemptible society. His absolute disgust at the sight of the destruction of the mare shows his guilty conscience, as well as a contempt for society. Not to mention he believes himself to be a man above greater society. He thinks he has the authority to kill and believes that the murder of the woman and her cat were completely justified, and this dream as well as his character show this." Tom was starting to become irritated as well.

Usually his playful teasing demeanor held strong and he would torment Hermione to no end. However, they'd been arguing in one of the library's private study rooms for almost an hour now and had only written a measly paragraph. They were supposed to have three pages done within the next two days and they weren't making any progress.

"Why can't we just use both?" She asked, exasperated.

"If we turn this paper into Snape with ideas and symbolism all over the place rather than just one solid idea, he'll mark us off." He snapped back.

"What a sorry day it will be for poor Tom Riddle when he receives a 99/100." She scoffed at him.

"Oh? And you're any different? Just the other day I saw you about blow your stack when Slughorn knocked one point off your lab for forgetting a decimal." His eyes narrowed.

"That was different! I had put a decimal and he just didn't see it!" She ran a hand through her curls, trying to breathe and calm herself. "This is insane Tom! This paper is due in two days and we aren't getting any closer to finishing it than we are to seeing Professor Snape marry Professor Tonks!"

"If you would just listen to me, we wouldn't be having this problem. You're _supposed_ to be listening to me anyway." He jumped off the desk they were seated at. "In case you don't remember our little deal? I get to be in charge and you just do as I say."

"That doesn't pertain to school work!" She exclaimed.

"Well, we didn't exactly write out the deal in fine print, now did we? So what I say goes." His voice sounded final.

She stared up at him and a part of her began daydreaming about how her pencil at this precise moment was sharp enough to stab him in the chest. It had been an incredibly long week and a half and most of the school had finally started to move past the detention ordeal and such, however some students still held on tightly. Specifically Pansy Parkinson, who had been all too eager to continue spreading rumors and shoving her in the hall. Hermione had brought this to Tom's attention the other day in class and he had simply brushed it off.

"Fine." She gritted through her teeth. "We will do it your way, I don't even care."

"You're only pissy because we haven't had an intimate moment in over a week." He sat down across from her as she began writing.

"If this were a game of hot and cold as to why Hermione is pissy, you would be in Antarctica." She gripped the pencil even harder. "Besides, I'd rather jump into an erupting volcano than spend another minute with your lizard lips on my face."

"You know I love it when you talk dirty to me." Tom winked, standing up and coming over to her side of the table.

"Go away. I'm trying to work!" She shoved her elbow at him as he moved his chair right next to hers.

"I don't feel like working on this project anymore, I think we should have another lesson."

"Right here? Are you off your rocker? Do you've any idea what would happen if a professor happened to walk by or even worse another student?" She scooted over on her chair.

"I like to live dangerously." He moved in closer to her face.

"Tom, I swear to god. If you do not get out of my face this instant, I will punch you in the nose. We have to finish this paper." Anger shone heavily through her voice, she wasn't in the mood for games.

"All work and no play make Tom a dull boy." He stood up, rolling his eyes and began pacing the small room. "When do you think you'll be done with our paper then?"

"I'm sorry, don't you mean when do I think _we'll_ be done with our paper? I'm not writing this paper all by myself." She asserted.

"Hermione, so far, I've really let you off easy with this whole deal we have going on. I've given you time to mull over and prepare and I've hardly asked anything of you. I've been so kind and the least you could possibly do is write this paper….how I want it done though." He reassured.

Hermione felt her fingers shaking from the anger that was dwelling within her body. She had no idea how much longer she was going to be capable of dealing with this. Her grades weren't falling and she still maintained a high GPA, but since this entire ordeal, the small lead Tom had on her had grown to six points and Hermione wouldn't have it. She could care less about her social life, her social life wasn't what was going to make her a successful doctor after graduating. Tom had begun to ruin her grades and it was going to be the straw that broke the camel's back.

"How a stupid, egotistical, thoughtless, useless, preppy baboon like you ever got as popular or smart as you are now boggles my mind, Tom Riddle. I'm already starting to think I would be better off with the entire school hating me than I would being your stupid little hand-servant that pleasures you on the side." She spat out.

"Oh Hermione, don't hold back. Tell me how you really feel." He mocked in a sarcastic tone. "Do you treat every boy who shows you genuine affection this way, I'm very curious."

"Tell me Tom, do you treat every girl like some lowly stupid piece of ass, or am I your golden exception?" She snapped back.

"I've told you before Hermione, all you have to do is say you enjoy our time together and do as I say, and this would all be over in a snap. You don't have to torture yourself like this." He shrugged nonchalantly.

"I'll kiss Snape before I just give in to what you want."

"I'm sure that could be arranged. I doubt he's ever even seen a girl below the be-"

"Tom!" Hermione felt a blush creeping into her cheeks. "Be quiet, you're awful! Just truly awful!"

Tom gave her a crooked smile and then walked over and sat down, grabbing the paper from under Hermione's hand and began reading it, his eyes narrowing as he studied the paper. Hermione glared at him as he read it. She caught herself staring at a small dimple in the corner of his cheek where his mouth had turned downward in a small frown, one she noticed appeared when he was paying attention or working hard. He grabbed his pen from the table and began marking on the paper, writing small notes and citations, crossing things out underlining.

"There is no way I've made that many mistakes." She protested as he continued marking down the page.

"Your writing is just appalling. You know, I have a cat at home, his name's Cheshire, he could probably write better than this." He shook his head at the paper as he continued to tear her paper apart with red marks.

"You named your cat after The Cheshire Cat? From Alice in Wonderland?" She snorted.

"Does it surprise you? That I'm literary proficient?" He didn't turn to look at her.

"Possibly. I find it hard to believe someone such as yourself sits at home quietly and reads out of pure pleasure. I more or less pictured you sitting at home looking at woman on your computer and reading magazines with busty women."

"Who's to say I don't do both?" He turned and winked an eye at her.

"You're disgusting." Hermione narrowed her eyes at him.

"You're the one who said it Hermione. What about you? How don't I know you sit at home looking at pictures of big, thick-"

"I'm leaving. I'm done. You can bring me the paper tomorrow and I'll edit it then. I have to get away from you." She stood up, grabbing her bag.

"I'll see you tonight then?" He asked, leaning back in his chair to block the door, looking  
up at her.

"Are you kidding me? I have a huge test tomorrow in Advanced Physiology and I honestly need the sleep. This entire bet is so stupid-"

"Tonight, twelve. No exceptions." He pointed a finger to the door without looking at her.

Her eyes turned into small slits of anger and she huffed before slapping his arm away and throwing open the door to leave the room. She stomped out and made her way up to her dormitory to drop off some of her book before their free period was over. She sighed a deep breath of relief when she saw that Ginny wasn't in the room. She knew that Harry, Ron, and Ginny believed her but she had a feeling that they were starting to tire of how friendly she seemed to be with him after what he had done to her. She didn't blame them. She could hardly imagine how it looked when the person who'd caused a majority of the school to turn against her was constantly talking to her and being chummy while she sat and did nothing about it.

Any normal person would have punched him in the face and sent him packing, or at least ignored him. Hermione didn't think she could ignore Tom Riddle even if she had too. It didn't matter that he teased her relentlessly about every single thing she did, or that it seemed like every time he spoke her blood began to boil. There was simply no other way to put it, Tom Riddle was the kind of person you couldn't forget about. No matter how much she hated to admit it, and she never would, especially never to him.

She left her dorm and made her way down to the commons where she ran into Ron, waving and smiling at her to join him. She was all too happy to partake, she needed to be around someone who she actually liked.

"Hey, where've you been?" Ron asked sitting down on the free couch (Hermione felt her face redden when she realized what couch they were sitting on).

"I have an essay due in Snape's class and I was lucky enough to be paired with Tom. He's an awful partner, really. We've been in the library working on it, but I had to leave. I was getting ready to bust an aneurysm." She shook her head, sitting down next to him.

"Ah, well. Things could be worse." He said shrugging. "We get to go to London this weekend though, so it's not all bad. We usually all go out and go to this little pub, they call it the Three Broomsticks. D'your parents give you permission to go to London?"

"Yeah, It's just been such a bum week, I don't even know that I'm in the mood to go anywhere, especially with all these people. They'd probably tie me up and leave me in alley so they wouldn't have to see my face anymore." She leaned her head on Ron's shoulder.

"Nahh, it'll be fun. I promise. I'll make sure nobody leaves you in an alley." He leaned his head on hers and they sat there for a second.

Hermione didn't mind sitting like this with Ron, in fact she didn't mind being this close to Ron one bit. He was probably the nicest to her out of all three of her only friends. Ginny was of course very sweet, and it was lovely to have someone to just simply be a girl with. However, she preferred being around Ron because something about him just made her feel cozy, like she was at home.

"Cozying up with Weasley, I see?" Hermione shut her eyes and held them closed, maybe she had just heard it in her head. She was mistaken, She felt Ron tense up and turn around.

"Bugg off, Riddle. Nobody asked you over here." Ron's voice was angry and Hermione watched as his ears began to pink.

"I mean no harm," His voice was polite and calm. Hermione glared at him, hoping he could feel it in his soul. He wasn't going to act like he did around her around anyone else and it pissed her off. It made Hermione look like she was lying about the things he did and said to her. "Student's aren't allowed to engage in intimate activity. If you two don't separate, I'll have to write you up."

"That didn't stop you the other day in the hallway with Hermione." Ron mumbled angrily under his breath as Hermione scooted to the other cushion away from Ron.

"I'm sorry Mr. Weasley, I didn't catch that?" Hermione felt a hot stone drop into her stomach as she saw the look that came across Tom's face. "Miss Granger, would you please inform Ron what happened in the stairwell."

The look on his face was telling. He was giving her two choices, she could lie to Ron right here and tell him what Riddle wanted her to tell him. Second choice was she could tell Ron the truth and Riddle would continue to wreak havoc on any dignity that she continued to carry. She grinded her teeth, staring at Tom as if to test her theory about what he was doing. His face held only the expression of someone being patient. His eyes however, held it all. His dark blue eyes shone, like his eyes were smiling and laughing at her expense while she sat here and suffered. Ron was looking expectantly at Hermione, waiting for her to answer Tom's question.

"I was angry with Tom, so I followed him to the stair well," Her voice sounded so forced it was almost as if she were having trouble breathing. "When I reached the stairwell, I was angry with Tom. Tom told me he was only teasing me because he thought I was beautiful and smart, and he was jealous that I was smarter than him." Tom's eyebrow cocked up. "Tom leaned in towards me, and I got the wrong idea, and I kissed him."

Hermione was praying for something in Ron's head to click and figure out that she was only saying this so Tom wouldn't make her life a living hell. Tom's face held nothing, but his eyes gleamed and Hermione could swear she could almost hear him laughing inside her head. He turned to look at Ron and Hermione followed suit. His face was red and at any other point, Hermione might have laughed because it looked like his head was on fire, but she didn't laugh. She turned to glare back at Tom who met her gaze.

"See, Ronald. It was just a mistake. She's new and she didn't know any better, now like I said. Keep a foot's length apart now." He nodded at Hermione, smiling before he walked off out of the common room.

"Ron, I was just lying...he's making me say all this stuff…" She trailed off, Ron was still glaring at the spot where Tom had been standing. She laid a hand on his shoulder, and he jumped slightly, turning to look at her hand. "Come on, let's go to class."

Ron looked at her, heaving a deep breath and nodded. He didn't speak to her the entire way to class, actually. He didn't speak to her the rest of the day. If he was angry, he didn't say anything. Hermione didn't want to say anything either, she wanted to let him cool off and she didn't want to make anything worse than it already was.

Hermione didn't care what happened, she was going to slap Tom Riddle in the face tonight, even if it cost her the last three friends she had.

Hermione noticed that the closer to midnight it got, the angrier she seemed to become. A part of her was furious, so bloody furious she could have smashed holes in every wall that she passed on the way to common room. She had made up her mind, she was going to tell Tom Riddle she didn't want any part of this anymore. She knew (or at least she hoped) that she would have three friends left no matter what happened after she told him. There wasn't much more he could do honestly. Pansy Parkinson had found a new hobby in bullying Hermione every chance she got and Draco and his cronies seemed to enjoy teasing her just the same.

She rounded the corner and ran straight into Tom Riddle who had been standing in front of the hallway waiting for her. She had no hesitations, she rose her hand quickly and with as much power as she could muster into her small hand, she moved to slap him. She could have guessed that Tom had seen it coming, and he grabbed her hand inches before it smacked into his face.

"Ah Ah Ah, no hitting." He mocked her, holding her wrist above her head. "I thought we'd at least established a well negotiated compromise, are you breaking the treaty?"

"I just thought I'd try something new, I seem to remember you saying you liked it rough." She yanked on her hand, but to no avail, his grip remained strong.

"Oh, I do. Very much so," He pulled her hand slamming it back into the wall, using his body to push the rest of her with it. "However, I like to be the one who administers the pain, rather than receiving." His voice was hot and deep in her ear and it made her entire body shiver with a mixture of anticipation and fear. "Tell me Hermione, do you like it rough?"

She didn't answer, her lips remained sealed and her eyes pinched themselves shut. He used his other hand and brought her other wrist to meet his, gripping them both in his tight hold. He ran his mouth down from her ear to her neck, testing the water. His teeth bit softly into her neck and she gasped, her eyes opening wide. She felt the skin beneath her cheeks redden when she heard a small chuckle come from his mouth which was still making it's way across her neck. He continued to administer small bites, until he reached the apex of her neck and chest and bit down hard and while she meant to gasp in pain, all that came from her mouth was a small moan of pleasure.

Tom kissed back up to her lips and Hermione may have felt ashamed of herself later, but she certainly wasn't feeling it now. She could hardly bring herself to remember why she had wanted to slap Tom in the face in the first place. Bloody hell, she could hardly remember her name as this point. Her mind seemed to be only thinking in color and feelings, bright splashes of red and purple every time she felt his teeth push into her skin. Black with explosions of color when his lips finally locked onto hers, his mouth coming over hers like he had been in the desert for days, and she was his water.

She found herself concentrating on the sound she was hearing when she realized it was her, her breath making small sounds of pleasure every time she was allowed a breath of air. Later on, Hermione would even swear her body was moving of it's own accord, her mind knowing nothing of it. Her body was trying it's hardest to press itself into every nook and cranny of Tom's body. When Tom had finally released her hands, he moved them down to come around her back and down her legs, hoisting her up so that she was wrapped around him. One hand ran through her hair, gripping it and pulling slightly so that her head tilted away from his mouth allowing him to freely roam his lips across her neck. She had completely lost track of the time, her entire conscious following the hot trail of kisses he was leaving across her skin.

When Tom finally came up to meet her lips again, she felt ravenous. She ran a hand through the soft waves of his hair grasping onto him; her other hand softly gripping his face, as though she were begging him to stay put. Slowly, Tom lowered the intensity of their kiss. His hands, Hermione hadn't even noticed, had found their way to her chest and they stopped grouping and now were softly massaging. His kisses became softer and slowly turned to small pecks. Hermione, aware of the situation she had been placed it, felt a shock of embarrassment. Not over the kiss, but the heavy breathing she felt reeling in her body as well as the earsplitting thudding of her heart, which she was positive Tom could feel and hear.

"You're definitely improving." Hermione was smacked back into reality, _of course_ he had to make a joke and bring it all down.

"Let me down," She unwrapped her legs from around him and pushed him off. "If that's all and we're done here, I'm going back to bed."

"Are you going to London this weekend?" He asked, coming up and walking next to her.

"If I was, I wouldn't tell you, and I certainly wouldn't be hanging out with you either. Your friends are all mindless sociopaths who get off on bullying kids who don't have as much money as them. I'd say you have a lot in common with them, but you're smart enough to do it behind closed doors." She said without looking at him.

"I'll take that as a yes then? Wonderful, it's a date then." Hermione cringed at the word.

"No, it most certainly is not. It's the complete opposite of a date, I'm not going to spend my free day in London following you around."

"Okay, we shall call it an un-date then. you don't really have any other options in the matter. Maybe I'll buy you something nice." He spoke as if he were a father telling a child he would buy them a new toy.

"You know Tom, when I first came here, I was so curious why someone so handsome didn't have a girlfriend," She turned to face him, nearly bumping into him. "You're an arrogant conceited asshole. You love to flaunt how smart you are in other's faces and you're a world class manipulator. You've some how tricked the entire school into thinking you're some charming, polite, schoolboy when you're nothing more than a world class douchebag. I've no doubt that you're more than capable of tricking some stupid girl into bed with you, but you'll never have anything serious because you can't be serious, and you hide everything you think and feel behind this stupid charade of jokes and charm."

"Hermione," His voice was small and saddened, she almost felt a pang of guilt. "I didn't know you really felt that way about me…I love you too." He pretended to wipe a tear from his eye.

Hermione let out a very angry frustrated yell, wanting nothing than to push Tom out the common room window. She felt the sudden need to pull all of her hair from her head and grind her teeth down to nubs. Never in her life had she been so incredibly frustrated with someone. Then again, there really was no one like Tom Riddle.

"You don't even know what love is!" She cried.

"You're going to have a hard time explaining our relationship this weekend when everyone finds out I'm your boyfriend." He shrugged, moving to walk past her.

"You're playing dirty!" She grabbed his arm, stopping him from walking away.

"Oh, Hermione, don't play coy. You like it when I play dirty," He turned and came dangerously close to her face. "You love it, and you can feel it right here," She suddenly felt his hand trailing from the top of her chest down the middle to her the top of her pajama bottoms. "And you can't get enough of it."

She smacked his hand away, ignoring the daze he always seemed to put her in when he touched her.

"You don't think it'll look suspicious if you tell people I'm your girlfriend and us never spend time together or touch each other in public? I'm not about to play arm candy for your enjoyment."

"Oh, don't worry about the minute details, I'll handle everything," He smiled, his crooked teeth showing. "We'll be the happiest couple this school has ever seen."

"I still don't understand. I didn't do anything to you, I was never anything but polite and I kept to myself and left you alone. Why me, why do you have to ruin my life like this? Why not someone else." Her voice sounded almost hurt, defeated.

"I always get what I want Hermione, even if I have to fight dirty to get it."

"That doesn't answer my questions, why me?" She looked up into his eyes, the dark blue gleaming back at her, an intense feeling of heat spread into her body, rolling slowly into the very pit of her stomach from the look he gave her.

"You misunderstand," His face came closer to hers, his stare sending a quiver down her back. "I always get what I want," He leaned in, his hand coming up to stroke her cheek. "And I won't stop until you want me too."

_()_

Hermione woke up on Saturday morning feeling as if she had eaten lead before she went to bed. She was so anxious and stressed about what would happen today, she contemplated staying in her dorm room all day avoiding everyone and everything. However, something told her that if Tom didn't find her in the common room, he had no problem coming up to grab her.

She ended up downstairs anyway, ignoring the gnawing feeling of anxiety that seemed to be eating her from the inside out. Ron must have calmed down overnight because he greeted her with a warm smile and hug and even sat very close to her on the bus ride there. The buses were small, made to fit maybe 10-12 students a piece. However, there wasn't very many students who were going either. Only grades 11 and 12 were allowed. Hermione couldn't help herself, she found herself stealing looks at Tom trying to figure out what he was playing at. Surely if he had told everyone they were dating, he would have done it by now.

He seemed to actually be ignoring her, if she had to guess. Usually whenever the two of them were in the same vicinity, he would be doing his best to look at her and make her nervous and angry. However today, he was doing the exact opposite. Even when Hermione had walked by him on the bus, he'd looked the other way to speak to Pansy Parkinson, who'd even looked up to send Hermione a " _look who's laughing now_ " look. She had no doubt that Tom saw her send it too.

As much as she wished to admit it, it really did bother her. Why would he threaten her with a lie like that then treat her like she didn't exist. She was going to prove that it didn't matter. She was going to enjoy her day in London with her friends and not think about Tom Riddle for one second.

"Where are we going first?" She asked Ron as the bus began to make its way towards Central London.

"Usually the Camden Lock Market and around there, then stop for a bite at Three Broomsticks. Nowhere fancy or anything. However, the richer lot go other places. Dover and Bond usually. I can't even afford to look at places like those." Ron said rolling his eyes.

"I think I've ever only been there once, and it was to help my dad pick out a nice watch for my mom." She laughed.

"Course, your lot wouldn't be welcomed there, would they Weasley?" Malfoy called back from the seat diagonal from them.

"I imagine they don't allow rabies ridden rodents like yourself either, Malfoy." Ron shot back, his ears turning red.

"Why don't you come over here and say that to my face, Weasel. Maybe your little skank of a girlfriend there-"

"Malfoy." The voice came from the seat two ahead of them.

Malfoy's face reddened and he turned forward to look at Tom, who was turned in his seat facing him, a conservatively angry look at his face. Pansy was trying to pull at his arm to make him sit down, but he brushed her off without even glancing at her. Malfoy sat down, his face turning an ugly red color as he faced forward. The girl sitting next to Malfoy, who she assumed was his girlfriend, sent Hermione a glare before putting her hand on Malfoy's shoulder to try and comfort him as though he'd been hurt.

Tom never once looked at Hermione, he just turned back around in his seat. She looked over at Ron who had an odd blank look on his face.

"What was that about?" He asked, still looking forward at the back of Tom's head.

"I've no idea."

Hermione honestly forgot about the entire bus ordeal once they'd started walking around for a few hours, Tom was nowhere to be seen and Ron had bought her several items (though she'd begged him not too). She was thankful when they finally reached The Three Broomsticks to sit down and get something to eat. She was starving and her feet were killing her.

"Put your money away, I'm buying your drink." Ron slapped her hand down.

"You've bought enough. As soon as you turn away, I plan on returning every single item." She laughed nudging into him.

"That's mean Hermione, you already know I'm poor. You'd really do that to me? I used all the money I've ever saved-"

"Oh, shut up!" She pushed him.

"My life savings, really. I won't be able to eat for a week." His voice in mock pity.

"Sad thing is, he's not joking, are you Weasley?" Malfoy came up behind them at the bar where they were seated.

"Can't leave well enough alone, can you?" Hermione turned, glaring at him.

"If I really cared for a cunt's opinion like yours, I would have asked, now wou-"

Malfoy didn't finish, Ron had pulled back swinging his fist squarely into Draco's face. Hermione gasped loudly, not as loudly as Draco's girlfriend screamed when Ron's fist made impact. Malfoy went sprawling, blood squirting from his nose. Ron moved to keep going but Hermione grabbed his arm.

"Ronald!" She moved in front of him, pushing him back. She struggled though, Ron was all too eager to continue what he had started. "Ronald, Stop!"

Draco lay on the ground, clutching his nose which was very steadily spurting blood from both nostrils. The bones in his nose, which were quite hard to see through the blood and his hands, were very clearly broken. He was moaning while his girlfriend kneeled next to him trying to help him staunch the flow of blood.

"Mr. Weasley! Are you out of your mind?!" Professor Lupin had been sitting in the corner of the pub keeping a watchful eye on the students. "Outside! Now! The both of you, Draco get up. Follow me. C'mon now."

Hermione squeezed Ronald's hand as he moved past her to leave. She felt incredibly guilty, though she had definitely not told Ron to punch Draco in the face, he'd only done it because of what he'd said about her in the first place. She ignored the dirty look Malfoy's girlfriend shot as they all walked out the pub. Hermione suddenly realized how very alone she was. Harry and Ginny had yet to make it back and she had no other friends around. The pub had become very silent and a lot of people were staring at her.

"First Riddle, now Weasley. Can't help yourself when it comes to the boys, can you Granger?" A tall brown headed girl shoved past Hermione going over to some of her friends.

Hermione took a deep breath, trying to calm herself and find reason not to act as Ron had. She decided it was best to grab her bags and simply make her way back to the bus. She knew there was another two or three hours before they all left, but she didn't have it in her to wait for Harry and Ginny in the pub with everyone making rude remarks about what a bint they thought she was. She received permission from Professor Tonks and went into the bus and made her way to the very back. She now regretted now bringing her cell phone, she'd left it in her room at the school thinking it'd be noting but distraction. At this moment in time, she prayed for nothing more than a good distraction.

"At least I brought a book." She sighed to herself, pulling out _The Haunting of Hill House_ , a novel which had been assigned by Professor Snape.

She found herself deeply immersed in her novel, reading for maybe little over an hour before the clicking of the door opening at the front of bus sent her reeling.

" _Shit!_ " She shouted, the sound of the door opening causing her to jump.

"Language, Miss Granger. You don't want me to give you detention now, do you? Or were you hoping to get some alone time with Weasley?" She glared at the tall dark haired handsome boy who'd entered the bus.

"Tom, so help me God, if you don't leave me alone." She couldn't even finish her sentence, she was too mentally tired of it all.

"They say distance makes the heart grow fonder, Hermione. Don't pretend you don't know it either." He came too and sat next to her, looking out the window at the passing people. "You sure caused a bit of a ruckus didn't you?"

"I don't want to talk about it, and I especially don't want to talk to you about it either." She snapped, trying to continue reading her book.

"Who else are you going to talk too then? You don't have any other friends." He picked up a strand of her hair, twirling it. She smacked his hand away.

"Thank you for so kindly pointing that out," She found that she was gripping her book so hard, her knuckles were turning white. "Which is even more of a reason why I don't want to speak to you. It's all your fault that no one likes me."

"You can blame me all you want, but I don't control people's action or thoughts. I haven't told anyone to treat you the way they have, and I didn't tell Ron to punch Draco in the face." His voice was almost haughty.

"No, but you certainly don't stop it do you?" She couldn't read, her head was hurting too much. "You just watch your friends tear me to shreds, call me names, tease me, push me, and cause the entire to school to hate me. You don't do a thing to stop it. You think Malfoy would have called me a cunt if you hadn't let him go on for the past three weeks about what a dirty slut all your friends think I am? How pathetic and poor and…and- You don't do anything about it Tom!"

"Grow up Hermione, you're letting a bunch of stupid children calling you names send you over the edge. I'm not my friend's keeper, I can't control what they do or think." His voice became harsh, surprising Hermione even more. "You won't find any of them brave enough to say a damn word in front of me. I could threaten them all within an inch of their lives, and they'd still do it when I'm not around. Grow a pair and take it with a grain of salt, and fight back. Your boyfriend Weasley," He spat the word boyfriend as though it stung his lips. "Had the right idea."

"He's not my boyfriend, shut up. You don't have to be so rude." She felt more than slightly offended at the way he'd just spoken to her. He'd gone from constantly joking and teasing her to simply calling her a baby and telling her to fend for herself.

"I'm not being rude, just honest. You'll have a hard time convincing anyone that he's not your boyfriend now. I heard it was a good punch though, good for Weasley. Didn't know he had it in him."

"I'd rather people think him my boyfriend than you." She said shrugging.

"Oh, but you know who you'd rather have in the sack though," He winked boyishly at her. "Besides, we both know that I'm a better kisser. Obviously, Ron hasn't kissed you yet though, or he'd have hit the road running."

"Oh, shut up. I'll have you know Ron thinks I kiss just fine." She lied, trying to keep a small smile from her lips.

"I sincerely hope you're just joking, for Weasley's sake. I don't like to share, Hermione." His voice had become grave, causing Hermione to laugh aloud.

"If you thought my kissing was so bad Tom, you wouldn't be tricking me into kissing sessions late night in the commons, now would you?" She smarted.

"You must think you're so clever, figuring out my little plan. Is this you finally agreeing with me? Admitting that you enjoy our little talks and night classes?"

"I'd rather Ron punch me in the face." She smiled, turning to look at him.

"I have no doubts that can be arranged. Looks the sort to beat a woman doesn't he?" Hermione glared at him.

"You look more a woman beater than he does, trust me."

"The only time I'll ever do that, is if she wants me too. You seem like the kind who likes it rough, care to try and find out?" He raised an eyebrow, leaning in towards her.

"Tom, you come any closer and I will jab your eyes out."

He quickly closed his eyes and stuck his hands out, quickly grabbing Hermione's chest.

"I guess learning Braille is something I can't handle, though I can't tell what this says." He ran his thumbs over where the peaks of her chest were and she slapped his hands away, her cheeks burning.

"You're abhorrent, honestly. I've never met someone so immature." She was desperately trying to push the blush that had overwhelmed her face away.

"Yet here we are, in the back of a bus. Delighting ourselves in small talk that is eventually going to lead to you snogging me." He said, holding his hands up as if he were showing a sign.

"I've no intentions of snogging you, you're dreaming again." She moved to get up but Tom grabbed her hands, pulling her back down. "What are you doing?"  
"Shhh….I don't want anyone to see us." Hermione suddenly realized he was not at all joking when he leaned forward, grabbing Hermione and kissing her heavily.

She moved to push him but he grabbed her hands moving them behind her back and holding them with one hand, using his other hand to twist it into her hair. She soon lost interest in pushing him away, losing herself in the feeling that seemed to settle in her stomach when he kissed her. Her blood rushed through her body, making her feel as though she could have floated from the seat. She felt her hands traveling to grab Tom, trying to pull him closer to her body, desperate to feel his skin against hers.

Hermione could have easily pushed him away, told him no and been done with it. Hermione could have done a lot of things, but none of them seemed to be good enough to stop something that felt so good. His lips were so soft and his skin so warm, the way his hands firmly curled into her hair, pulling it so slightly. She couldn't think of anything that she enjoyed so thoroughly, but that was something she would never admit to Tom, not as long she lived.

As for time, she lost track of it. They could have been kissing for ten minutes, or ten hours. She wouldn't have known. She was only vaguely aware of what was happening around her. She was more concerned with the feeling of his lips moving across hers, the occasional kiss and bite down her neck, feeling his body beneath her fingers, and marveling in the fact that she had somehow been chosen by this stupid God of a boy out of all of the other girls in the school she attended.

When Tom finally pulled away, he was breathing just as heavily as Hermione was. However, her hair now looked ghastly. It had regained its usual frizzy form and more. Tom's hair also lay askew, however it looked as though it had been done on purpose, rather than Hermione's which seemed to resemble someone sticking their head into a tornado. Her lips felt rather swollen and she was sure they looked it too, especially since Tom's were slightly swollen and the area around his lips tinged pink.

"You tell me Ron's a better kisser and I'll give you all the money in my wallet…probably more than he has to his name too." He added smirking.

"You can't just leave well enough alone, you always have to add a snide comment or some stupid joke, don't you?" Hermione rolled her eyes, doing her best to straighten her hair.

"Hermione dear, that's one of the reasons you love me, my sparkling personality and dazzling sense of humor."

"You must have had a serious head injury as a child, to mistake the feelings I give off towards you as love."

"Oh of course. How stupid and daft of me to think that the girl whose just snogged me for," He glanced down to look at the Rolex on his wrist. "Forty five minutes hates me. How completely stupid."

Hermione blushed, unsure of what to say. He'd certainly outsmarted her on that, but she didn't love him. She knew exactly what she thought about Tom Riddle. She couldn't exactly say what caused her to be so unconsciously attracted to him or attracted to moments like what had happened just a second ago. She barely wanted to think it, but she liked how smart Tom was. She enjoyed the fact that he was so attractive to look at, no matter how incredibly annoying she found him. She could never see herself actually being anything but what she currently was to him. His friends absolutely hated her, and her friends couldn't stand the sight of him. The entire school hated her for something that never really occurred, she couldn't possibly fathom what they might think if they knew what was actually going on between the two of them.

"You should go, before someone gets on the bus and sees us alone together. I don't need my life to be any worse than it already is." She said, putting her hair into a high bun on her head.

"Oh, you're life is already terrible. I couldn't possible make it any worse. Thank you though." He said standing up, a smile marking his lips. "Oh, and before I leave."

He leaned forward, his face coming very close to Hermione. She was shocked by the sudden serious look that adorned his face, confused by what could have possibly changed the mood so quickly.

"While Draco deserved what happened earlier, I won't stop any retaliation if I see you and Ron getting any closer." His voice was low, dropping at least two octaves. His usual blue eyes seemed to flash before her in the shadow from which he was leaned into, she would have said they almost looked black for a second.

"I'm free to date whoever I please, you can't threaten me." She said, standing up and coming even closer to his face. She didn't care how rich and powerful he thought he was, she wasn't going to let a boy bully her around (at least not any more than he already was).

"Then I'd suggest you choose wisely." Hermione felt the small hairs on the back of her neck stand up at the dark smile that graced his lips before he began making his way to the entrance of the bus. "I'd hate to see anything like what happened to Malfoy happen to your boyfriend."

He walked off the bus with that, leaving Hermione sitting there staring at the front of the bus.

Hermione had felt terrible when she knew that Ron had done it because of what Malfoy said, but she felt even worse she Ron told her the punishment he'd received for punching him. Professor McGonagall had given Ron an entire month's worth of detention plus a mark on his permanent record (which would show on his applications to University). Although two weeks had passed since the incident Ron continued to assure her she wasn't at fault and it was his fault for having such a short temper; she couldn't help but feel it could have all been avoided if she had just never shown her face in this school in the first place.

"You have to let me make it up to you, I'll do your homework for the next month." She had been begging him all morning to let her make it up to him.

"'Mione, seriously. If you don't bugger off about it, I'm going to punch you in the face." The smile that shown on his face made the threat fall through.

"I just hate-"

"I know, I know. Listen, I'll let you make it up to me on one condition." They were sitting in the common room, studying for a test that Hermione had been studying for all week. Ron had waited until last minute and had begged her to help him study.

"Anything, just lay it on me." She said looking him into his big brown eyes.

"Stop talking about it." The look on his face was deadly serious.

"Oh God Ron, that doesn't count. Jesus, I thought you were going to ask me on a date or something." She wasn't lying, she'd felt the anxiety attack that had racked her body for a second ebb away.

"Well hey, if that's really what you want…" He led away, staring off into the distance.

"No, no that's quite alright. I think I'm going to join the convent when I leave, I'd do well there." She was quite positive she meant it too.

The school was now completely convinced that Hermione and Ron were "an item." She quite enjoyed the perks of that over the perks of being "Ron's girlfriend" over "the girl who molested Tom." Ron and Hermione both knew the rumor but ignored it. Ginny welcomed it with wide open arms. She seemed to be begging the both of them to date. The only person that seemed genuinely annoyed by the rumor was Tom, who seemed to becoming increasingly aggravated with Hermione's careless attitude towards the whole thing. It was during their study period that it finally came up.

"I doubt its truth, but there seems to be a rumor going around about you and a certain redhead being caught in the lavatory in between classes." He'd said it with nonchalance, but his jaw was flexed showing he was angry. His jaw always flexed, showing a little tick in his cheek when he was angry.

"If you doubt its validity, then why bring it up?" They were sitting in the library, working on another partnered essay from Professor Snape's class.

"I'm quite sick of hearing about all your stupid little sexual escapades with Weasley, that's why. I'd much rather hear about you shagging me in the bathroom. Though, I do find it below myself to shag a girl in a bathroom, perhaps a closet?"

"Oh, you're so romantic. Nothing sweeter than a broomstick wedged up your ass while getting frisky." She rolled her eyes, ignoring his snarky tone.

"Well, I didn't say anything about sticking something up your arse, but if you're really wanting to try-"

"Don't even finish that sentence." She looked up, cutting him off.

"Too dirty for your little virgin ears?" His crooked smile appeared.

"Your voice is too maddening, actually. I think a brain cell dies every time you speak to me."

"That would explain why you're so far behind me, what is it, four point now?" He mockingly tapped a pencil against his mouth.

She scowled at him, resisting the urge to throw the book she was reading out of in his face. She was actually secretly happy that all the rumors about her and Ron were annoying him. She was sick of him always being in such a chipper mood when he teased her. She was glad for something that made him at least feel an inch of what he made her feel every time she had to speak to him. Which now seemed to be all the time, Tom didn't seem to care that everyone thought Hermione was a piece of lowly poor trash. He constantly spoke to her in class, came up to her at her locker between classes, and at one point in time, actually sat next to her at lunch.

 _"Do you mind if I sit here?" Tom didn't wait for a response as he took the empty seat next to Hermione._

 _Of course, none of her friends wanted to sit next to Tom and none of Tom's friends wanted to sit next to Hermione so they received an entirely empty table throughout one of the most awkward lunch periods she'd ever experience. No matter the fact that Tom spoke to her the whole time, she didn't feel like speaking back. She was certain everyone around was listening to what they were saying, trying to figure out why someone as smart, rich, and popular as Tom wanted to sit with someone as poor, slutty, and unpopular as Hermione._

 _"Not very talkative are you?" Tom asked, taking a drink of his tea._

 _"I have nothing to say to you. You've made quite a scene, I'm not going to make it any worse than it already is." She was gritting her teeth._

 _"Yes, they all seem to be staring at you, don't they?" He looked around at all the people staring at them._

 _She rolled her eyes, grinding her teeth even harder. She'd completely lost her appetite and had reserved to simply pushing her food around on her plate with a fork. Even her friends, though she knew they also struggled heavily with this weird relationship that she maintained with Tom, were giving her weird looks. The topic of this friendship no one understood had become taboo among them, something she was actually very grateful for._

 _"You're not eating?" He had noticed her plate which hadn't been touched._

 _"I'm not hungry, you've ruined my appetite." She pushed her plate away._

 _"Probably for the best, you're looking a little plump anyway." He shrugged, a noncommittal look on his face._

 _She'd remembered very clearly the gasps that had emitted from the student body when she turned and smacked him very hard on the shoulder._

"I don't see anything wrong with a little bit of healthy jealousy Tom, it's good for you. You must not be used to it after all, always getting what you want." She began to pack her things away into her bag. "Besides, we aren't dating. I'm just some simple ass on the side, that's all."

"You oughtn't to think so highly of yourself, really." Hermione slammed her bag shut, walking towards the door.

"If you really think so low of me Tom, then I don't see why it matters if I live up to the rumors that've been going around. Surely if you think so low of me, you won't care if they're true."  
Tom very suddenly stood up, coming to Hermione. Her eyes widened and she backed up to the door, flinching when his hands slammed on the door behind her on either side of her head. He said nothing, his jaw twitching slightly. His eyes bore into Hermione's so sharply it was a wonder she could still see. Neither of them said anything, just staring at each other in a silence so heavy, Hermione could feel it in her chest. One of his hands slid down, coming to her face and stroking it so softly, it made her body shiver.

"I can see you want to play dirty, that's fine." His voice was so soft and deadly, she felt goosebumps arising all over her body. She turned away, his gaze finally causing her to look away. His fingers slid down and grabbed her chin, forcing her to look up at him, his face centimeters from hers. "That's my favorite way to play."


	5. Chapter 5

**Authors Note:**

 **So I'm tired and I've been so depressed I'm honestly quite surprised I was even able to get this chapter out. I've had to stop all of my medication and it's been hitting me hard. I've had like the worst past four or so weeks of my life and I'm just sick of everyone. I don't want to talk to anyone anymore and I'm honestly tired of all my friends and feel like just throwing my phone away because I don't want to talk to anyone and I'm sick of people trying to talk to me.**

 **Anyway, enough of that. I've finally got some sort of outline for this and I would at least like to try and get it written quicker than WTDK so.**

 **Enjoy.**

 **Review all that fun stuff even if it's just to tell me I suck. I appreciate the reviews either way.**

It was with great pleasure Hermione realized how easily jealous Tom Riddle could get. It was a plus when she realized that Tom couldn't exactly show it in public either. It soon became a great hobby of hers, teasing Tom whenever she could get a chance. It wasn't a terrible situation on either part, she truly enjoyed Ron Weasley's company and she was able to continually piss him off to no extent. Today was no exception, she made sure that she caught Tom's eye before she let Ron take her books as they made their way to Biochemistry.

"Too bad you still have detention tonight, I need a study buddy." She made her words were loud enough to reach Tom's ears as they passed by. She placed her hand on Ron's shoulder catching the narrowed gaze Tom was sending as they walked into the classroom.

"Study buddy? You want to watch me study while you sit and make me look like an idiot?" Ron rolled his eyes, taking his seat next to her.

Hermione found that she'd gained the upper hand once she realized how easy it was to make Tom angry. She even found that she didn't quite care how atrocious Tom had become in making her life a living hell, it didn't quite matter to her much anymore. Although Tom still continued to bother her relentlessly, teasing her in the hall and at one point earlier in the week, sitting next to her in class. She had begun to pay it no attention, ignoring him even.

Today was no exception to Tom's continual annoyance. He ended up sitting directly behind her. Ron gave her a look before turning to give Tom a look that she was very positive looked possessive. She didn't turn to see what Tom had responded with but once class had started she felt a sharp poke in her elbow and turned to see a piece of paper jabbing her in the arm. She turned and glared at Tom who again shoved it into her arm.

" _Stop it."_ She whispered ignoring the paper.

It wasn't enough, he continued to shove the paper into her arm. She rolled her eyes, sighing finally grabbing the note.

 _'You're going to break his heart you know.'_ She rolled her eyes. She crumped the note before visibly dropping it in her bag for him to see. She could have guessed that seconds later another note would be stabbing her in the arm.

 _'Ignoring me will just make it worse. You going to keep leading poor Weasley on? Surely you know there's no competition.'_

She smirked, gloating inside that she was working him over like this before responding back.

' _If you didn't feel like there was competition, you wouldn't be writing this note, now would you? I don't see any competition. I'd choose Ron over you any day.'_

She passed the note back and waited for a response. She heard him chuckle softly and she felt her heart thump softly at the sound of it, ignoring it the best she could. She looked over and saw Ron giving her a questioning look at the same time a sharp jab resounded in her elbow.

 _'You weren't saying the other night, actually. It sounded a lot like my name, if I correctly recall. You said it a few times.'_

She felt a blush so powerful overtake her face, she had to look out the window to avoid anyone seeing it. He wasn't precisely lying, although it wasn't just the other night. Before the start of this week, she had somehow let herself be caught alone in the common room during dinner. She'd skipped dinner, choosing instead to stick around and study for an upcoming test. Apparently, her absence had been noted for Tom soon made his presence.

"I'm glad you took my advice on not eating, it almost looks like it's working. Maybe you'll get lucky and it'll all go to your ass." She smacked her head down on the desk.

"I honestly can't get away from you anywhere, can I?" He came up and sat down next to her looking over her shoulder to see what she was working on.

"How much you want to bet I'll kick your ass on this test tomorrow?"

"I've already learned my lesson in betting with you. You're a cheat and you can't be trusted. I'm sure you've somehow seen the answer key. Did daddy buy it for you?" She flipped over her study guide.

"I like the sound of that coming from your mouth, maybe you can start calling me daddy." He came around the desk sitting on it, grabbing the paper from her.

"I'm sure you love the sound of it, how many men have you had call you daddy before?" She went to snatch it back but he jumped off the desk.

"Oh, is that what you're into? Gay porn. Well God Hermione, I didn't take you to be that kinky." A crooked smile was plastered on his lips. "Anywhere, speaking of kinky. We're alone and I'm bored."

"Well then I guess it's good you've got two hands. Though, I suppose someone of your _stature_ only needs two fingers." She stood up, glaring down at his pants.

"Come here and why don't we find out together how many fingers I need." He winked at her, coming behind her to press his body against hers.

She took a breath trying to gain some composure for herself. She knew very well that he knew what he did to her, as much as she wished it did nothing. She moved to walk away, but he wrapped his hands around her body holding her. She tried to stiffen her body and tense to get away, but his fingers moved her hair, pressing his lips to her neck.

"Tom, enough. Get off of me." Nothing in her actually wanted to move from his embrace, but she desperately wanted to prove herself wrong either way. He ran his hands across her body moving to pull her against him and she found herself relaxing into his grasp no matter how bad she didn't want too. _My body is a traitor_. She heard a small laugh in her ear as he felt her move closer into him.

"I don't get why you don't just admit how much you like this, you always come back for more." She pulled away at his words glaring at him.

"Has anyone ever told you how bad of a trait cockiness is?" She made to grab her things but he came around, pushing them off the table. "Tom! C'mon! You're acting like a five year old."

"C'mon. My dorm is empty for the next hour. It won't kill you." He said grabbing her study guide off the table and walking down the hall to his bedroom.

"Tom, give that back. I'm not going to chase you down, please." She begged as he turned the corner disappearing.

She watched him contemplating whether or not she really wanted the study guide. She could always write another one, but she'd been working on that specific study guide for the past three weeks and couldn't possibly get all the information that was on that one into another one. She looked around frantically trying to quickly make up her mind. She already knew that she would never get it back if she didn't chase him. Maybe if she got him before he got to the room.

"Tom, slow down. I don't know where your room is, stop. Please give me my paper back. I need that." She turned the same corner he'd come down and caught the sight of his head smiling at her before it turned down another hallway. "Tom, you're acting stupid. Just give me the damn paper!"

She let out an exasperated sigh when she heard him laugh towards the end of the hall. She finally turned once more before she saw him duck into a room with a whiteboard on it that read _Head Boy's Room – Knock before entering please._ She rolled her eyes, probably to keep people from catching him masturbating.

She pushed the door open, looking around for Tom. The room was only made for one person; a large king size bed taking up the middle of the room with very large antiqued looking furniture surrounding it.

"Jealous? Head students get their own rooms." He whispered from behind her, she turned to hit him and caught him in the chest. "Hey, hey. No hitting."

Hermione wasn't exactly positive how things escalated the way they did. She ignored him, going across his apartment beginning to open drawers and pull things out of them, ignoring him calling her.

"I honestly don't know what I was expecting." She said, pulling out a hustler magazine from the drawer, tossing it down on the ground.

"Oh, don't worry. I've taped your face to all of the women's pictures in there." He came up, sitting on the bed.

"Oh, well Tom. If you wanted to see me naked, you could always just go to hell and picture it." She began pulling socks and briefs out from the drawer.

"Why don't you just let me find out right now?" He asked, pulling her away from the drawer and tossing her onto the bed.

"Tom-stop…oh god." She felt her face redden when his lips made contact with the bare skin right above her school skirt. "Stop, now. Stop…" She was finding it very difficult to find her voice.

He had rolled her down beneath him and was pushing her back down every time she sat up to push him off. Something, somewhere, in the very back of her head was telling her to keep fighting, but that was the only thing telling her that. His hands ran up her shirt, kissing up her stomach. His voice vibrated across her skin when he spoke and it made her break out in goosebumps.

"You taste so good," His voice seemed to have lost some of that cockiness he had a second ago, like he too was feeling some of whatever she was getting. "I could taste you all day."

Hermione felt her body shiver when he sat up and plainly ripped her shirt open, buttons hitting the floor. She wished she'd owned some more attractive bras than what she was wearing. Her undergarments were limited in style. She didn't think she owned anything in actual colors unless you considered very pale pinks a color.

The look on his face read very different, his face had a very strange look, as though he wanted to say something but it was caught. She took the opportunity to try and ruin the moment.

"Never seen a real pair of breasts Tom?" She smirked at him.

A devilish smile came across his face and he leaned down causing her to hold her breath.

"I'll take that as an invite." His hands wrapped under her picking her up to kiss her but she slapped his hand away.

"Absolutely not." She moved to push him off of her and he budged slightly.

"You're just hurting yourself in this Hermione, ignoring what you really want." He sat back on his knees. He moved back down to her stomach and began planting small soft kisses. He began to speak through kisses. "We'll take it slow, I want you to mean it and want it when you finally admit how bad you want me."

"Some might consider this sexual harassment." She gasped as his kisses became more prolonged, sucking and biting tenderly.

He stopped and she involuntarily groaned and she felt his lips spread into a grin on her lower abdomen.

"No one's keeping you here." He waited a second and she felt her body convulse softly beneath him, eager for more of his touch. "That's what I thought."

The next thirty minutes were filled with the hungriest snogging she'd ever encountered in her entire life. She'd have to use makeup to cover the edges of her collar-bone the next morning, his marks prominent against her pale skin. His hands grasped at her body moving to feel her contours. Though his hands moved once or twice to roam between her legs, quick slaps from the moral side of her brain stopped him in his tracks and he would resume as though nothing had happened.

When Tom finally sat up, his breath heavy in his chest and light perspiration beaded across his forehead, his hair was a mess. The usual stylish décor he kept his hair in was strewn in every direction, his lips red and swollen and his eyes slightly glazed. He looked positively confused and lost and the sight of it caused her to begin giggling. The sound of her giggling seemed to bring him back to his casual demeanor and he shot her his signature playful look.

"Ready to admit defeat yet?" She rolled her eyes, pushing him off her to sit up.

She climbed off his bed and moved towards the door refusing to give him the satisfaction that he may possibly be incredibly correct. Though there was no denial that she couldn't ignore the carnal attraction she felt around him, but that didn't change the fact that she couldn't stand him as a person.

"I'd rather die."

* * *

"What was all the note passing about?" Ron asked as they left class, her books held tightly in his arms.

"His usual annoyances." She felt a small blush creep into her cheeks but she ignored it.

Hermione looked at Ron and he gave her a large genuine smile. She knew exactly why at the pit of her stomach she felt sick. She didn't think she was leading Ron on, but she knew what she was doing wasn't right either. However, she had no better way to get back at Riddle. She knew that she really did find Ron sweet and charming, his smile was cute and his tall frame made her feel cozy. She didn't mind sitting on the couch with him pushed up in his arms.

"You would think this whole thing with you and Tom would have died down by now." Ron grumbled to himself. She knew he was annoyed with the continual attention that Tom had been showering her with.

"It's just an academic thing." She wanted very much to change the subject, it didn't seem like she could ever get away from the popular subject of Tom Riddle.

"Speaking of academics, are we still meeting in the library tonight for studying?" He asked as Harry waved them over.

"Of course, I'll see you then though. Can't be late for Snape's class."

She felt a sense of relief (and possibly a small pang of disappointment?) when she entered the room and found the Head Boy's seat empty. Most of her classmates had already arrived and paid no attention to her when she walked in the room, though she did receive a rather nasty glance from her professor. Something she'd grown accustomed to. She knew that six point head that Tom currently had on her grade point average was specifically because of this class. Were it not for their continued partnered assignments, the point average would probably be much lower. She was further more surprised by his absence when the entire class went by without his presence. It wasn't much like him to miss a class, especially since she had just come from a class with him.

It was to her great surprise that she made it through the rest of her day without so much a lick or peep from Tom Riddle. He was nowhere to be seen at lunch nor was he in her other two advanced classes that he usually made time to sit and annoy her in. She felt rather annoyed with herself at the fact that she was as curious as she was to know of his whereabouts. By the time she'd finished her dinner and Ron began to accompany her to the library however, she'd almost forgotten about Tom Riddle.

"I honestly don't understand how you pass this class, this homework is in ruins." She glanced at the essay he was preparing.

"I maintain a good B average. Not everyone has to be a perfect straight A student to survive you know?" He mumbled grabbing the paper back.

They sat next to each other on the couch seated in the third floor of the library in the back of the shelves. She was thankful the library had such large unused sections, it was much easier to study and speak in peace when no students had any use, or at least no use at the current moment, of Film History from the early 1900's. She had kindly taken his paper to look over and correct and found herself making a mess of it, making more markings than he had.

"Now I'll have to rewrite the whole thing, I didn't think you'd ruin it." He laughed flipping through the pages.

"I can't help that you're an abysmal writer."

She found herself laughing with him and turned to face him and then stopped when she realized the look that had come upon his face. _Oh No._ She knew that look, not very well but she knew it. The twinkle in his eyes and the way his face looked at her as though he were reading the most interesting book he'd ever found. She sat still in shock as his face began to move closer to hers and alarms were ringing in her head. She sat so still when she finally felt his lips crash into hers. His lips were wet and warm, full and thick. They were awkward and nervous against hers as though he were surprised that he'd actually made contact with her.

She knew she needed to respond and a part of her scolded her, _you did this to yourself. You've lead him to think you like him and now you have to return the favor._ She forced herself to close her eyes and try and move into it, to give him the reaction he was searching for. That must've been the key for hands quickly discarded the items they were holding and moved to wrap around her, holding her in a very awkward close embrace. Ron must've not been experiencing the level of uncomfortableness or inelegance she was for he seemed to grow more passionate by the second.

She feigned needing to breath and pulled away from his lips trying to create a look of pure enjoyment but from the feel of it, it felt more like obstinate constipation. Luckily Ron seemed to be paying no attention, he wore a slightly drunk smile and was staring off as though he couldn't believe what had happened.

"Ron-"

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have-" Her voice made him snap out of it and he seemed to have noticed the uncomfortable on her face.

"No, it's not that. I just don't think that I was ready for it…" She trailed off, she really didn't know what to say. She could've guessed something like this would happen but she hadn't really thought about how to solve it.

Ron's face was turning a darker shade of red by the second, he averted her eyes and moved his hand to the back of his red to rub self-consciously. She found herself averting her gaze too, staring at her book desperate for something to pop up and change the subject.

"I just, I like you, you know?" Ron's voice was low with embarrassment and when she looked up she saw he was still looking away.

"I like you too Ronald, it's not that. It's not that at all, I'm just not sure if I'm ready for 'this', you know?" The little voice in the back of her head was trying to tell her something, but she chose not to listen. She really did like Ron, she loved hanging out with him and liked it when he had his arm around her or pressed his leg next to her on the couch. It was that feeling, that weird feeling that Tom gave her and that annoyed her more than anything. The last thing she wanted to think about when she was kissing a guy she actually like was Tom Riddle.

"No, I understand. I can wait if that's what you need." He looked at her and she realized that his brown eyes held the most hopeful puppy-dog look she'd ever seen.

"Thank you." She didn't know what else to say, she couldn't keep him waiting forever.

They said nothing afterwards, instead they worked in what was now a very awkward silence. Occasionally Ron would ask a question about where Hermione had marked or something of the matter but otherwise, there were no small talk. When it was finally an hour before curfew, Ron was yawning and decided it was time to go.

"Want me to walk you back up the common?" He asked throwing his backpack up over his shoulder.

"No, I really want to finish this essay. It'll only be a few more minutes, I'll follow you up in a little while, thanks though." She smiled at him, hoping tomorrow would be like nothing had happened.

Ron leaned down and kissed her very softly on the cheek and she smiled more, his lips felt soft and warm on her cheek and she actually enjoyed it. When he pulled away she smiled warmly at up at him and grabbed his hand to squeeze it before he returned the smile saying goodnight and walking off for her to keep working.

She enjoyed the silence, quietly working on her essay. She was sitting there when she realized she'd only written one sentence and decided that this was probably not going to go anywhere but it was due tomorrow so she had no option. She continued trying to write but no matter what she did she knew this essay wasn't going to be an A. She felt like she was writing absolute nonsense. The fact that her entire school year was going to revolve around useless drama that involved boys really bothered her. She wanted nothing more than to go back in time and realize how stupid it was of her to try and beat Riddle in academics. If she hadn't tried to show off how smart she was, none of this would have happened.

She leaned back in her chair to read what she had written and found her mind simply going off into different places. She felt a deep sense of confusion welling up in her chest as well as a longing for her life to go back to the way it was before she had to come to this stupid school. She'd never had any problems with boys at her old school and maybe that was because she'd never bothered herself with that kind of nonsense. Sure, she had friends. Most of her friends were actually girls and while they'd all been boy crazy she found that she found more interest in academics than she did boys. Boys weren't going to help her get into a great college, boys weren't going to do anything but distract her from what was really important.

Now here she was, six points behind an absolute perfect grade point average because she'd had to show off her stupid grades and prove that she was smarter than this stupid boy. She should've just kept to herself. She was now stuck between two guys and one of them seemed to be a crazy psychopath who always got what he wanted and the other was a sweet innocent boy who didn't deserve to have anything to do with herself.

"That was actually sad to watch." She jumped at the sound of his voice coming from behind her then turned to scowl at him.

"Oh, are you spying on me now? That's only a little creepy." She closed the book which held her paper, she'd just have to get up early and finish it, there was no way she'd finish it tonight. "Is that what you've been doing all day? Hiding behind desks and bushes and skipping class to spy on me?"

"That's not really any of your business now, is it?" He asked sitting on the other side of the desk, a smart smile on his lips.

"Oh, so everything I do is your business but I'm not to bother with anything to do with you?" She raised an eyebrow.

"Correct." He kicked his chair back to lay his feet on the desk. "I've had business to attend to today and came here to make sure there were no stragglers sitting around before curfew and instead came upon that nice little play there. You really shut him down, didn't you?"

"You probably enjoyed watching a little too much. I thought I heard a heard some heavy breathing." She began putting her stuff in her bag. "He's a better kisser than you anyway."

"You're lying and you know it." He laughed.

"You just like to think that you're better than anyone at everything. You can't stand knowing someone else has pleased me better than you."

"Is that so? Does Weasley know that? Does he know that you think he's a better kisser than me? I'm sure he'd love to hear that. Why don't I tell him tomorrow."

"Oh shut it." She ignored the cold feeling of dread that formed in her stomach from his words.

"That's what I thought. Anyway, you're not going to be able to keep that charade up with him any longer. Eventually he'll find out about us and that you've lied to him and it'll blow up in your face. I'm honestly getting quite sick of telling you that I don't like to share. You want to continue to play this little dirty game and flaunt him around in my face? You're taking it too far, and for Weasley's sake it's about time you've stopped. You see the way he looked at you when you let him kiss you on the cheek before he left? You've given him false hope and the only person that'll hurt in the end is you."

She stared at him with her mouth pursed shut. She had the childish urge to cross her arms but ignored it, but there was no way she could ignore the burning feeling forming in her stomach. As much as she hated to admit it, Tom was right. She had done nothing to stop from leading Ron on and if he were to find out about her and Tom, not that they had anything going, but if Ron were to find out she'd lose all her friends. Why did she feel like she was cheating on him if they weren't even dating?

"So what do I do then?" She asked in a hard voice.

"You got yourself into this mess, you can get out of it." He shrugged, his demeanor going from a heated possessive state to weirdly nonchalant.

"Fine, then I don't want us to meet anymore. I choose Ron." She tried to make her voice sound an uncaring as his did.

"That wasn't an option. You couldn't leave me alone even if you really liked Ron-"

"I do like Ron! That's why I want you to leave me alone! I just want to be with someone who is normal!"

"Oh please, I wish I had taken a picture of your face when you pulled away from him. You looked like you'd swallowed a cup of shit." He laughed.

"That's funny, because that's usually how you taste whenever we kiss."

"Oh right. You must've forgotten how bad I taste when you're moaning in between breaths. "He rolled his eyes. "Don't you get tired of lying to yourself every day or lying to everyone around you? It must be exhausting. Any whom, I wasn't giving you the option of choosing between me and Weasley. I was giving you the option for you to end it your way, or I'll end it my way. I'm not sharing what's mine, that won't change. I usually don't give an option either, I care about you too much to see you lose all your friends because of something so small and stupid."

"Oh, you're too sweet, Tom. Really, thank God." She rolled her eyes.

"Feel lucky I've offered an option Hermione, I'm not usually one to be so kind." He wasn't joking this time, the look on his face was serious.

"So what'll you do if I say no? If I tell you I'm to choose Ron over you anyway?" She asked standing up, she was ready to leave.

"That'll be for you to out won't it? In the end, if this is the way you'd like to hurt Weasley and lose your friends, that's your decision."

"You're giving me no other options! You're willing to ruin the only good things I have at this school so you can fuck with me on the side?" She was growing angry

"Language." His voice cut sharply. "I'm not the one who led him on this way. I was here first and I've claimed my stakes. You're playing with a fire you can't control, you're doing this all to yourself and I'm simply not allowing you to get away with lying to the boy, it's not fair to him."

She felt her face burning with anger and ignored the small voice in her head that was telling her that Tom was technically correct. She'd led Ron on to make Tom jealous, even though she really liked him and now she was stuck in this situation and she couldn't blame it on Tom.

"I'm not a possession. You don't stake claims on me, don't talking about me like I'm sort of daft object, I'm an actual person Tom. You don't control me, you don't own me, you can't tell me what to do, and you can't keep trolling me around like this."

He stood up, his eyes seemed to flash before her and in the dark lamp light of the library they looked like there were a pitch black giving his eyes an almost demonic appearance. The tick was softly moving in his cheek and his face held what appeared to be a searing anger. When he spoke, his words were soft and venomous, daring her to contradict him. They held a lenient dangerous tone that made goosebumps stand up on her arms.

"I'll only say it one more time Hermione," He backed her up to the bookshelf, her arms coming behind her to touch it while one of his hands moved above her head and the other grabbed her chin, forcing her to look into his eyes, the gaze made her body smolder. "You belong to me, no one else. I won't watch you toy around with some silly boy and force me to watch. This isn't a war and you ought to stop treating it like one. This is a battle you know you'll lose and the only result is your friends leaving you alone and you'll have no one to blame but your pretty little self.

His fingers stroked her cheek and she stared up at him, her face tightly held by a mask of anger and somewhat pleasure. She tried to ignore the fact that his body so close to hers felt so good and that deep in the pit of her stomach she could feel something warm stirring at how possessive he'd become. However, something else was also incredibly angry that he seemed to think he could just treat her like nothing more than a common household pet. He leaned forward and began to whisper in her ear, his hand moving from her face to her hip to grasp firmly.

"Can't you feel that?" She didn't have to ask to know what he was talking about, that hot electric sensation that ran through her body every time he touched her. She couldn't ignore the way her body reacted against his touch. "You love it and you don't feel that from anyone else but me. It doesn't matter if you don't admit it, eventually you will, but this won't change. This-" Her breath hitched when he pressed his abdomen and waist into her body forcing her to feel the hard arousal in his pants. "The way, you breathe when I touch you, how you can't get enough. This won't change. You don't want to hurt Weasley and you don't want to piss me off. So choose wisely Hermione." His lips pressed to her ear and he moved down her neck.

Her breath was shaking and seemed to come out in ragged spurts from her chest, trying to drop the temperature of her blood that was boiling under her skin. His lips bit softly into her neck and she bit her lip hard to try and stop the quiet whimper that worked it's way out her throat, but she didn't catch it in time. She heard a chuckle against her neck where he was softly sucking on the skin, leaving tiny prominent marks and his chuckle did nothing but heat the hot feeling in her stomach.

"Please…" Though she was trying to tell him to move off of her, it didn't come out that way and she wasn't sure if she was concerned about it either. It more or less sounded like a plea for him to keep going and she didn't think she wanted to correct herself.

Tom's hand that leaned on the book shelf moved down and he came between her to hitch her leg up, softly stroking the bare skin on her upper thigh. She groaned softly when he suddenly gripped the pale flesh right under her ass, his teeth digging into the area right above her collar bone on her neck. He moved his hand up from her waist and made way with small light kisses up her neck using his hand to pull her hair back tasting all over before he found her lips.

She couldn't understand how she always ended up in this situation, one second they would be fighting and then another he would trick her into acting like she couldn't breathe without his body touching hers. His tongue begged for no permission and simply entered as though he owned the place, his lips rough on hers. She groaned again when he shifted hard in between her legs again, purposely repeatedly pressing in between her legs. She felt a slight sense of accomplishment when she realized she every time he moved, she could hear him groan softly. Her hands were wrapping up in his hair and the grip he had on her thigh was dangerously close to where she decided she really wanted it to be. However, he suddenly pulled his lips away and gave her the odd sensation as though she'd had the breath ripped from her lungs. He was leaning forward, she bit her lip as she realized the hand that was touching her thigh was moving around, his finger teasing the outer edge of her panties.

"Don't fight it anymore Hermione, just give us what we both want." His voice was hot in her ear and she realized with embarrassment that the thin fabric of her panties that was pressed against his arousal was wet. His tongue played with the sensitive skin that was right under her ear and her body shuddered.

He began to pull away from her, his fingers sliding softly down her thighs and his other hand trailing from her hair to rest on her chin to be sure she was looking at him.

"Go upstairs before I give you a detention for being out past curfew." His smile was wicked and for some reason the sight of it made her feel slightly sick.

* * *

Ginny was still awake when she walked into the room, she quickly made her hair to cover her neck as to cover the marks she was too positive Tom had left behind. However, the look on Ginny's face said that she probably wouldn't have noticed them anyway, for she wore a grin that seemed to stretch from ear to ear on her face.

"Don't get mad at Ron, but he told Harry and me what happened-"Hermione sighed loudly in response but Ginny didn't notice. "He was kind of embarrassed because he said that you were a little upset after the kiss but then he told us he kissed you goodnight and that you seemed really happy about it and grabbed his hand and told him you liked him, and why didn't you tell me you liked him?!"

"How do you talk like that without running out of breath?" Her voice was sarcastic and she had to glance at Ginny to make sure she caught it.

"This whole time you've liked Ron and he's liked you back and you two were just beating around the bush. It's about time he's made a move. He's always talking about you to Harry and I cannot believe he actually plucked up the courage to act on it. He said you told him you wanted to wait and take it slow. I wish I had known you liked him too, I mean I've always thought but you've never said anything."

"Slow down, slow down." She was trying to put her night clothes on but her brain still felt slightly fried from the heated moment she had shared moments ago. "I like Ron, I'm just not sure if I like him like that you know? I wasn't expecting him to kiss me and when he did, I was just surprised. He wasn't upset?"

"So you don't want to go out with him?" Ginny sounded confused and almost hurt and Hermione was almost afraid to say anything else in fear or offending or pissing her off.

"It's not like that…it's just. I don't know. I'm not sure I want to date." She didn't feel just terrible because technically she wasn't lying. She really didn't want to date and she was trying to convince herself this had nothing to do with her conversation with Tom in the library.

"Oh." Ginny went silent for a few seconds and the glee that had been on her face when she walked in was gone now. "Well, that's fine. I mean, it's not like you two have to date you know? You just ought to make sure he knows though, you have been overly nice lately and I'm not saying you're leading him on, but I'm not saying you aren't either."

"I know…I know. I just wanted us to be friends. I like being around him, I wasn't trying to lead him on." She got into her bed and placed her head in her hands, she didn't really know where to go with this conversation. "I'll just talk to him tomorrow and let him know."

* * *

The next morning Hermione followed on her promise though she didn't actually want too. She had a feeling that if Tom hadn't of forced her into this situation, she would probably actually do it and not feel so adamant against it but there was no telling. She found Ron before breakfast and while her friends and trailed down to breakfast, she grabbed his arm and begged him to stay behind. His face remained blank when she explained it to him and his silence had begun to make her panic when he finally spoke.

"I don't want to lose you as a friend, 'Mione." His face looked slightly downfallen and she felt an overwhelming guilt punch her in the gut. "I'd rather us be friends than nothing at all. I hope I didn't make things awkward." His ears were beginning to turn red.

"No, no. Of course not Ron. I want us to be friends too, which is why I'm talking to you. I don't want to ruin anything…"They arrived at the breakfast hall and stood on the side of the doors to avoid blocking the entry.

"So we can agree on it then? Friends?" He smiled.

"Friends." She laughed when he reached out to grab her hand, forcing her to shake hands.

"Don't worry, I spat in my hand before we shook so it would be real. No taksie-backsies now. The spit made it official." He smiled as they walked into the hall.

"I thought we were doing a blood thing, I had cut my hand open."

"Then it's probably a really bad time to tell you I have a raging case of Herpes." He laughed harder when she elbowed him in the side.

"Did you talk it out then?" Ginny asked looking up as they both sat down.

"Ginny, god. Shut up will you?!" Ron's face burned and he ignored the laughter coming from around him as he loaded his plate.

She found that her day was gratefully pleasant until while getting ready to walk upstairs to grab her things with Harry and Ron that she pulled down on the first step.

"Oh! Oh…it's you." She turned to look back at her friends who were giving Hermione the "do you want help" look. "You two go on, I'll be up in a second."

Ron stayed for a second, his eyes narrowing at Riddle before Harry grabbed his arm and urged him to come on but not before sending Tom a regulatory glare of his own. Ron slowly followed him up the stairs turning repeatedly to look until they disappeared down the right corridor.

"Protective lot, aren't they?" His face held a small smile.

Tom had his hair styled slightly different, today it was as though he'd woken from bed and stylishly messed it up, making it look perfect yet somehow still disorganized. His white oxford tucked into his pants except for one flap that hung out casually. His dark black blazer was on though unbuttoned and his school die laid neatly between the sides of his blazer. Why the fuck did he always have to look like a fucking private school boy catalog model.

"What do you need? You're going to make me late for class." She leaned against the staircase banister impatiently.

"Did you fix your little dilemma?" He asked, smiling at a group of seventh years behind her back.

"I did what you asked, now is that all? I've got to go." She honestly just wanted to get away from him, she'd had enough Tom Riddle to last her the rest of her life.

"Good, then we can make our announcement next week." He smiled roguishly.

Her mouth dropped open and she felt her face slowly growing red but she couldn't decide whether it was with anger or a mixture of fear and anxiety. She traced all over his face for any sign that he was joking but she honestly could never tell if he was being serious or not, but then she remember he'd already threatened her with this and he never went through on it.

"You already made that threat and you lied, why should I believe anything you say now?" She hissed, her eyes narrowing at him.

"Hermione, please. I was trying to be kind and that was before all this nonsense with the Weasley boy and you playing dirty. I'm ready to come out with our true feelings, I want to show the world how we really feel." He looked like he was trying not to laugh and it just angered her even more.

"You mean _your_ true feelings? How _you_ really feel? I'm not going to go along with this stupid little charade you have planned out in your head. I did exactly as you asked, I turned him down just like you asked."

"Yes, but I haven't quite had my fun now have I? Tell you what, let's do it this Friday then. That'll be perfect, good idea Hermione."

"That's not what I said!" He began walking up the staircase giving no inclination that he wanted her to follow but she did anyway.

"Keep arguing and I'll just keep moving it up, it doesn't matter to me. I'm an eager-beaver myself. I can be rather impatient you know?"

"Don't just walk away when I'm talking to you!" She grabbed at the back of his blazer forcing him to come to a halt on the steps. "You were the one telling me not to ruin anything good that I had here. You were the one telling me that you cared about me and you wouldn't ruin the only friends I had! What the hell is wrong with you? Why can't you just leave me alone and call it well enough?! I've given you everything you've asked for!" She walked in front of him to prevent him from walking away from her.

"No, not everything." He moved to push past her but she side-stepped him and pushed him forcing him to stay on his step. "You're still lying to yourself and as long as you're lying to yourself you aren't giving me what I want."

"I'm not lying to myself! Only someone as selfishly conceited as yourself would assume that everyone is in love. I don't love you and I have no intentions of admitting it to you or anyone. If me lying to you to please you is what you want and it keeps me from losing the only friends I have, then fine. I love you Tom Riddle and I can't get enough of you. Is that what you want to hear?"

The look he was giving her just made to piss her off even more, she felt a harsh burning anger boiling beneath her skin and the familiar itchy feeling she got in the palm of her hand was becoming ever more present. His face held a smart expression of humor and semi-annoyance.

"For someone who seems so eager to prove how smart they are, you really are quite stupid. I don't expect you to be able to admit it to me if you can hardly admit it yourself. When you mean it, and truly mean it, I'll leave you alone. I'm teaching you a lesson Hermione and soon, whenever you realize it, you'll really appreciate me for it." He smiled at her warmly before pushing her aside to continue his way upstairs. "Now, we're already late for class and it won't look good for you walking in alone with me, unless of course you wish to announce today instead of Friday?"

She quite honestly had no words for the emotions that were stirring in her chest, though she could distinctively feel the sour hot bitter anger pumping heavily through her blood stream. There was also a very distant part of her that seemed to think that crying might somehow fix this entire situation though knowing someone like Tom, she knew it would only lead to further harassment. Although he had continued as though he were going to walk and leave her behind she'd noticed he paused at the top staring down at her as if waiting.

"If you keep standing there looking like you're about to cry, I'll have to give you a detention for skipping class." The look on his face was that of impatient annoyance.

"I assure you, detention will be a welcoming haven compared to having to be your girlfriend."


	6. Chapter 6

**Authors Note: So. 2015 was officially the longest year of my life and I'm so incredibly glad it's over because I feel quite honestly like I can breathe once again. I was really hoping it would end on a happy note, but it did not. I found out I was pregnant in November and in December, specifically on the fifteenth when I was three months pregnant, I miscarried. It was the hardest week of my life, I can't explain what it's like except that I couldn't go through it again and I don't pray and I'm not religious in the slightest but I have never prayed so hard in my life for just something to make the pain stop and to help the grieving.**

 **Anywhom enough with my lame ass sob story of a life. It's 2016 which means it's time for me to start over again. So here's a new chapter of this and enjoy it. Anyway, thanks for those who have hung in there! Read and Review. I'm not sure how great this chapter turned out, I feel a little iffy about it but you know. Oh well.**

 **Thanks!**

It was the Thursday before their large announcement and Hermione wasn't sure if what she was feeling was a grave sickness (one that she greatly hoped would lead to her death) or just a very large case of extreme stress and anxiety that seemed to be crippling her. Usually her schoolwork served as the world's greatest distraction towards anything that seemed to trouble her mind but for the past week, it did nothing of the sort. She felt as though her mind had simply cracked and she'd become absolutely bat-crazy with paranoia. Every time she saw a girl turn to whisper to her friend, their eyes glancing at Hermione she would die with certainty. _This is it, he told everyone. I'm done for, I've lived a great life, I wished I'd at least been a bit more adventurous (or at least kissed one other boy besides Tom Riddle)._

However, as paranoid as she had become, the whispers were nothing more than the remainder of the stupid silly rumors that had plagued her since she first started at this stupid school. At one point earlier in the week, she'd been coming around the corner and Ron had popped out, simply as a joke to scare her and it'd worked so well she'd actually burst into tears, much to a very frightened and apologetic Ron. It wouldn't have been so bad if exams had been close and she would be able to blame this sudden jumpy and spastic Hermione to everyone as her way of dealing with the stress of studying, but exams were still at least a month and a half away and their professors hadn't even begun the exam study sheets for them.

Tom seemed to have sense that he was having this effect on her and enjoyed it much to her chagrin. He, as he put it, was simply paying Hermione back for her childish actions she had pulled with "the Weasley boy" as he so often referred to Ron. Making small jokes and comments about all the things they would do once they began dating and with every joke, she felt herself growing even crazier by the second and she honestly was at a lost at what to do about any of it.

In Hermione's mindset, the best thing about this entire dilemma was that her friends had finally become accustomed to her odd friendship with Tom Riddle, they made no more comments and simply ignored it; she couldn't have been more eternally grateful if she'd fallen off a cliff and they'd caught her. At one point, Ginny had even gone as far as to remain seated at the lunch table when Tom came to sit next to her to bother her. Though she was sure he'd originally planned to bother her about something else, he'd changed his mind and made up some dull conversation about homework from Snape's class with a few comments to show his true nature here and there. However, Hermione hadn't missed the very odd look Ginny would send the both of them when at one point they got into their usual banter.

"Snape hates me anyway. I think he knows about our "friendly" academic competition. .He probably gives you the grade you deserve and purposely marks me down four points below you." She snapped at him when he'd made a comment about her marks on a movie review she'd turned in that morning.

"I'd do the same thing if I had an intolerable know-it-all in my class too." He reached over to grab the brownie off Hermione's plate. "Ah!"  
"I want that." She had smacked his hand retrieving the brownie from his fingers, carefully eyeing him as she licked the frosting on the top to prevent him from grabbing it.

"Oh no! Cooties!" He rolled his eyes before reaching over to grab the brownie anyway, shoving the whole thing into his mouth in one bite. "Hopefully I won't die."

"That's disgusting, I hope I have mono." She rolled her eyes at him but not before getting a very wide-eyed _what the hell_ look from her best friend sitting next to her.

Though their apparent friendship, if that's what anyone wanted to call it because that certainly wasn't what she was calling it, while weird to her friends, was simply outrageous to everyone in the entire school. Though nobody was going to question _The Amazing Tom Riddle_ on his choice of friends, they had no problem making snide remarks about it to Hermione when he wasn't around; something which she'd also grown very used too. In all truthfulness, the last thing on her mind was how much everyone in this school seemed to despise the fact that Tom enjoyed spending an abhorrent amount of time with the new poor girl, it was that tomorrow she was going to have to come up with some great explanation on why she'd ignored all her friends warnings and why she'd chosen Tom Riddle over Ron Weasley.

Some desolate part of her actually thought she might be simply relieved if it came to be that they would all be so angry that they'd just stop talking to her, Ginny would request she move out and Hermione could get her own room because no one would want to share a dorm with her and she could just be all by herself; sitting alone and listening to nothing but the obnoxious ramblings of the boy who ruined her life in the shortest amount of time someone could. However, she didn't think she would be that lucky and it would probably turn into a large ugly mess that she'd be forced into the middle of.

"It won't be that bad you know." Tom was sitting beside her on a couch in the library, it was only two hours from curfew and she'd decided she wanted to sit in the library alone. Hermione realized that she needed to change her definition of alone because being alone usually always consisted of Tom Riddle's unwanted company. "I mean, I'll be your first boyfriend. This ought to be exciting for you."

"You will not be my first boyfriend, good God." She leaned her head back on the couch, a large mythology book opened across her lap. "Why do you always assume you're my first in everything?"

"Because you're so inexperienced in everything we do that it's an easy assumption to make, though I'm actually positive they are less assumptions than they are stating accurate scientific facts." He was working on some homework with his legs propped up on the coffee table in front of them, the sides of his thighs pressed against Hermione's.

"You just don't like to think that somebody got to the goods before you." She continued with her reading, turning to the next page.

Tom laughed, snorting to turn to her and give her a cheeky smile.

"The goods, is that what we are calling you now? That's great, I love it."

"You can call it sloppy seconds, because that's what they are." She replied hotly.

"You don't think too highly of yourself, now do you? I'll have to fix that. You're too innocent and raw to have had firsts of any kind. I've doubt you even ever had an orgasm."

The word made Hermione blush so deeply she could feel the heat from her face traveling to her feet, her skin becoming prickly beneath her cardigan. She let her mouth hang open in aghast to turn and look at him (even if he were correct). Though this kind of conversation didn't surprise her coming from him, he'd never really brought that fact clearly to her attention unless you pointed out all the times he'd constantly called her a virgin.

"We've repeatedly stated I haven't had sex why does that surprise you so much?" She didn't really enjoy talking about her sex life to him and felt embarrassed even saying these things outside of her own mind.

Tom's mouth dropped open and he seemed to be searching her face for something, his eyes placing all across her face looking for some sign of humor or joking that maybe she hadn't actually meant what she'd just said. She must've said something incredibly stupid for he suddenly burst out laughing, his cheeks tinting pink and his hands snapping his homework text book shut in his lap turning towards her.

"Say that again, I need to hear you say that again. Oh my God, please." He begged her and she felt her face redden even more.

"Stop it, what did I say?" She pushed at his hands that had come together in some praying fashion towards her. "I didn't say anything stupid. Why are you acting like that? I've never had sex so I've never had an orgasm, why are you looking at me- Stop laughing! What's so funny!?"

"Hermione, oh my God." He removed his feet off the coffee table. "You honestly think that having sex is the only way to have an orgasm?"

She didn't say anything, just turned away with her cheeks flaming in embarrassment. She was very well aware of the fact that she wasn't exactly sex-savvy. She knew the basics of sex and some other things, but she honestly did her best to ignore those kind of things. Surely Tom knew, since he obviously knew so much about her, that he was the farther she'd ever gone with a boy. She definitely wouldn't say she was stupid when it came to sex, but it wasn't her best subject.

"That's not what I meant! I just meant that I've never had- if you're going to keep laughing I'm going to leave!" She stood up huffily, feeling slightly like a small child. "That isn't what I meant!"

"Okay, if you know so much then tell me, what are some other ways you can have an orgasm Hermione?" The bright smile that was on his face made her hands curl into fists. "Well go on, I'm waiting."

"I'm not going to talk about that, that's disgusting and hardly a topic I'd share with you." She knew her face was red and she was quite aware that he knew she didn't really know anything.

"Would you like for me to share with you then? Or perhaps I could show you?" He made to move towards her.

"No, we're done. I'm going back up to the common area. Goodnight Tom Riddle."

"Hey, you're not leaving yet. We've still got two hours until curfew and you said you would spend it with me." He almost sounded whiney.

"That wasn't what I said, I said that I had to study anyway and you were going to bother me either way. Those are different answers, one implies that I wanted to actually spend time with you." She sat back down pushing herself towards the opposite end of the sofa. "After tomorrow, you'll be lucky if I even speak to you anymore."

"You're right, with all the snogging and what not, since it'll be official and all." He leaned back against the arm of the couch throwing his legs over her lap. "It'll be all sunshine and daisies after that."

She glared at him shoving his feet off of her lap and grabbed her book back, ignoring whatever he had started saying next. She was going to have more than enough Tom Riddle to last her the next few decades after tomorrow since she most likely wouldn't have any friends, she'd rather sit in silence tonight. Tom must've finally agreed because five minutes later she realized it was still silent and he'd actually stopped speaking to her. She didn't mean too, but found herself studying him as he read over his textbook. She knew exactly why everyone liked him so much, it was easy to see if she was watching from a distance.

He was unbelievably charming and charismatic, his manners were that of an utmost gentleman. He always said hello to his professors and held the door open for ladies. She even witnessed him on several occasions carry books for other girls to their classrooms, of which she was very embarrassed to admit she felt a tad bit of jealousy at. He was smart and that seemed to be an understatement, eager to answer all questions in class, he was eager to take all extra credit assignments and turn everything in a day early if possible. He reminded Hermione slightly of herself in such ways. Tom would stay after class to speak with his teachers and they seemed to love him, especially Slughorn who doted on the boy as if he were his own son. When with his friends, they always seem to stare at him as if he were the Holy Grail, quick to laugh at his jokes, listening to his every word with complete fascination.

It was odd to her, to see him interact with other students in such a reserved, gentlemanly fashion, than to his friends as if he were they leader and them, his devote followers. Than when it came to her, as if he were simply a regular teenage boy, an obnoxious teenage boy at that, but there was no denying it. He was smart, he was well mannered, and he was attractive. Good heavens was he ridiculously attractive, and it didn't matter what he did either, he managed to always look like a young Greek god. His blue eyes so dark and un-telling that accentuated a face sculpted so perfectly and skin so smooth it made her skin tingle every time she touched it.

He wasn't always so obnoxious to her though. There were times where his behavior surprised her so greatly that it made her freeze in her tracks. Several times over the past month she'd arrived to breakfast or lunch and he'd have already retrieved her lunch for her with food she couldn't seem to remember telling him she liked but most certainly did. One time she was walking to her locker to get her books for her next class and she found him standing by, politely holding her books waiting for her. They were small things that seemingly slipped her mind, but thinking of them she found herself becoming mildly surprised.

"You ought to take some pictures if you're going to keep staring like that." A small grin played on his lips though his gaze was still on his book. "I know I'm attractive, but you mustn't be so obvious about it."

It was then she remembered why she couldn't stand him.

"I wasn't staring, I was observing." She said in a know-it-all voice.

"Oh, excuse me. Well, you have to pay to observe, looking this good isn't cheap you know?"  
"Oh, I can imagine, daddy must pay a fortune to keep you looking like the well-groomed pet you are."

"Oh he does, don't you worry dear, and as soon as tomorrow hits, dear old daddy Tom will do the same for you." He leaned over to pat her on the head giving her a dear mordant smile.

"Oh, will he really? Wonderful, I've always wanted a sugar daddy." Her voice was dripping sarcasm. "I've got no other chances at making it in this world otherwise."

"That's exactly what I'm here for Hermione. To be there for helpless girls like yourself, what would you do without my sex and my mo-Of!" His words were cut off by a jab in the side by her sharp elbow.

"You still haven't changed your mind about tomorrow then? No chances?" She doodled absent mindedly on the paper that rested in her book, the book where she should have been writing study notes but so far only had two sentences written.

"Nope, none at all. You know, most women would be thrilled at having me as a boyfriend."

"Those would be the women whose lives aren't at risk at being stuck in a school for the next year and half with no friends, or the women whose only friends are those of the boy she just turned down. I'm still not completely sure why I don't just say no to this whole thing and ruin my life myself, I mean, what's the difference? Does it really matter which way I ruin my life?"

"It doesn't honestly, but I guarantee you I could make it much worse than you could. Your friends will most likely get over the fact that you're dating someone they hate, but lying. Nobody forgives a liar. They might say they do, but they'll never fully accept you again. It's like when you cheat on a spouse Hermione, they might take you back, but it always there. It sits in the back of your head, eating at you slowly every day, gnawing at your insides every time they say they're leaving, every time they get a phone call, every time they walk out the door. You never forget it."

"That's a vivid metaphor, had a bad experience with cheating have you?" She asked giving him an odd look, but it fell away slowly.

His face had taken on a look she hadn't seen before, though she'd seen him serious before this was a little different. He wasn't looking at her but rather as if he was seeing something through her, like he couldn't see she was there. His face looked almost angry and empty as if he were somewhere else.

"Tom?" His head snapped towards her and he blinked fluidly staring at her for a moment then he smiled quickly, erasing the look in a second as if it were never there.

"Listen Hermione, like I said. It'll be easier done my way than yours." He shrugged and turned back to his book.

She stared at him for a while longer. It wasn't until a small alarm went off on the watch on Tom's wrist that she realized Tom had stopped speaking for an hour after his odd comment. They'd sat studying in complete silence, which sounded relatively normal, but it wasn't. It was very rare that Tom sat with her for such a long period of time without saying anything. He stood up and began to put away his things, not bothering to look or speak to her as she did the same. He barely spoke even as they walked out of the library, walking at the pace of snails back to their commons area.

"Tom?"

"Yes, Hermione?"

"Did I say something to upset you earlier? About the cheating?" She spoke quietly, as if speaking any louder might anger him.

His face showed nothing, she couldn't imagine how good he must be at playing poker.

"No, why do you ask?"

"You just seemed a little off put when you brought it up, that's all." She shrugged trying to play cool.

"You're reading too much into things. You must be nervous about tomorrow, don't worry though. I've got big plans, don't worry about it."

"Tom," She turned towards him, her eyes doing their best to play puppy dog. "Can we please not to this?" She even decided puppy eyes wasn't going to do the trick however and went for the top.

She slowly moved her hands out, dropping the puppy dog eyes and give her face a more seductive appearance. She moved around him, placing her hands on his chest trying to play graceful. He eyed her curiously, one pointed eyebrow raised staring down at her. She slowly raked a hand up his chest and moved the other down his arm.

"I just like what he have so much right now…can't we just keep it this way?" She found it was rather hard to ignore the heavy shiver that was chilling her spine from the way she was touching him. "It's rather exciting for us to keep doing this and have no one know."

He still said nothing, eyeing her hands as she continued to curl her fingers on his chest and arms. However, she rather felt that she was enjoying this much more than she was supposed to, a warm feeling resounding in the depths of her stomach at the hard muscle she felt beneath her fingers. His body was warm and his skin was defined and she wanted to slap herself for the secret sense of pleasure she was getting from her hands on his body.

She jumped rather suddenly when his hands grabbed hers, pushing her back on the steps that they were standing on and against the wall. Her breath came out of her chest rather swiftly and she found her face mere centimeters from his, a rather hungry look gleamed in his eyes.

"Hermione, are you afraid that if we commit, I won't love you intimately anymore?" His finger stroked her face and she hiccupped a small breath. He smiled at her warmly and moved down on her cheek, sending very small kisses across the soft skin of her face. "Hermione, if it's excitement you're looking for, I would never let you down."

He trailed small kisses back from her cheek to her lips drew back, his breath blowing across her lips before softly pressing against hers. She felt her heart fluster and found herself involuntarily leaning into the kiss. His hand gripped her face gently but firmly enough to keep her lips in place with his. He kept his lips there for several moments before pulling away.

"The deal stays."

Hermione wasn't sure how the morning was going to go, he didn't exactly explain to her what was going to happen or even when. She did know that she hadn't gotten one ounce of sleep and she felt so tired that she might have fallen asleep standing up if she was given the chance. She simply rolled her eyes at her appearance, black circles under her eyes so dark it looked as though she'd taken charcoal and smeared it under her eyes.

"You look awful, good God." Ginny was very quick to point it out, and her lack of sleep made it very hard for her not to snip back without thinking before she spoke.

"I didn't sleep very well."

Ginny was kind enough to lend (more like force) some under eye makeup and try to fix it, though it didn't do much, it helped. She sat in front of the door rather solemnly for moment staring at the students that were walking down the hall way towards the commons area. She felt like the moment she stepped a foot out the door, her entire life was going to end, though that was a tad dramatic.

"Are you coming or not?" Ginny was giving her an odd look, waiting for her on the other side of the door.

"Yes, of course." She stepped over the threshold and closed her eyes, as if a bang of confetti and a banner were to drop down announcing the news but nothing happened and she couldn't see Tom anywhere in the hallway, not that he'd have been waiting at her door or anything.

Hermione's stomach was so twisted and turned into knots that she felt like every step she took was almost crippling, it seemed too absolutely ridiculous to her. The moment she stepped into the common's area, she might've fallen or thrown up, Tom stood talking to several of his friends smiling charismatically at something one of them had said but stopped and turned when he noticed her entering. His smile grew a tad wider and he said something to his group and began to make his way towards her and she had the sudden idea that she might run back to her room. She might be making a spectacle of herself but in reality, as she (quickly) weighed her options, that would only make this entire ordeal much worse. She was very aware that at this moment, the worse part of the entire thing was she knew exactly what he was going to do as he walked over to her.

"Good morning," He came forward and placed a soft hand on her cheek, turning her to the side so that the entire room was able to view, and kissed her.

Not just a quick, hello-good morning kiss, no. It lasted, and she had counted, at least four seconds. Four seconds of his lips pressed deeply onto hers with the entire common room in plain view to watch, four seconds of absolute stunning silence that came over the room. Four seconds of the most heart wrenching, all-telling, awful kissing she'd ever had to experience. Four seconds of her heart race picking up a beat so fast it almost blew through her chest, four seconds of body covering goosebumps from the taste and feel of his always soft lips.

When he pulled away, her face had lost all the blood that was in it and she felt like she could have melted down into her loafers. The smile that was on his face looked dream-like and although the twitch that she felt her hand seemed so overwhelming at the moment, she did her best to ignore it. The entire room was staring at them as though they'd just had sex in front of everyone. Ginny's mouth was gaped and her face was just about as white as she imagined hers was.

"Ready for breakfast love?' He held out an elbow for her to link hers in and she forced herself to swallow the vomit that was sitting so readily in her throat.

"I-I'll meet you at breakfast." The words croaked out of her throat and sounded odd and broken as she turned to Ginny to say good-bye, but the expression of her face remained the same.

Though as they moved closer to the large door towards the staircase a few whispers could be made out, it remained silent until Tom had led her to the staircase where they acquired many more stares with their interlinking arms.

"My life is ruined. I've never hated someone so much. I cannot believe this is what my life has come too." She was talking to herself as they walked, pointedly ignoring the looks of the students they walked passed.

"Oh hush. It's not that bad, they'll be over it in a month. As for your friends, I can't say the same. You know how it goes though I'm sure, if they were truly your friends, this wouldn't do anything." He walked her into the Great Hall and led her to an empty table to go grab their breakfasts.

Hermione decided the best course of action at this moment in time was to place her head on her arms so that she could pretend there was nobody around her, staring at her like she was some odd parasite. Her silence and comfort in her arms only lasted a few seconds before someone sat next to her, shaking her arm vigorously.

"Care to explain what the hell is going on?" She looked up and found herself face to face with an exceedingly angry red-head. Hermione felt a heavy sense of relief that her other two friends were not with her. "Well? I'm waiting, you owe me something."

"It just happened…I don't know. We haven't been dating long and you guys all hated him-"

"Ah, Miss Weasley, to what do we owe the pleasure?" Tom spoke as though welcoming someone into his home.

"I'm not talking to you," Ginny turned to give him a rather intimidating glare and then turned back to Hermione. "So you just weren't going to tell me anything? Just hide that you're dating the biggest asshole in school? Is that why you wouldn't date Ron, why didn't you say anything?"

"Really? The biggest? That's a stretch…no pun intended." Ginny turned and sent him an even thicker glare.

"It wasn't like that…I knew that you guys were going to be upset and I was trying to think of a way to tell you guys and I don't know. I tried telling Ron I didn't want anything but friendship…" Hermione's mouth felt dry and puffy, her tongue swelling to fill her mouth and making speech hard to come by.

Ginny didn't look like she was accepting any of the words coming out of her mouth anyway, she rather looked like she was tempted to punch her in the face. Hermione would've welcomed it at this point, her stomach hurt and her head was starting to pound and being knocked out might fix all of it at once.

"So lying felt like the right thing to do? You didn't think just telling me about what was happening? You were just secretly seeing him behind our backs and then leading Ron on like that?"

"I didn't lead Ron on…I just-"

"No, just. I'm not going to discuss this here in public. Actually, I just really don't want to talk to you. You might as well leave Ron and Harry alone too. See you later, Hermione." Ginny flipped her red hair around as she turned walking out of the lunch room.

Hermione noticed several students were sitting very directly at attention as though they were eating their lunches, but they clearly were not. They were sitting with their ears facing towards their table and several students looked away when she moved her eyes to catch contact with them. She could live with the entire school listening in to the conversation that just took place; what she couldn't handle was the fact that she was close to tears it was taking every single ounce of willpower she had to stop the flow. She couldn't put her head down now, that would certainly cause her to cry.

"That was a tad dramatic, don't you think?" Tom pushed his seat in and slid Hermione her plate of breakfast, the sight of which brought bile up her throat. "Girls can be rather fussy, can't they?"

"If I hadn't been so eager to be smarter than everyone here, I might not have been in this situation, I wouldn't be here if I was stupid." She leaned back lazily in her chair and used her fork to pick at the omelet Tom had gotten her.

"I've never told you what I liked to eat. How do you know what I like?" She said taking a small timid bite. "That's just creepy."

"You think that's creepy? What till you find out what else I know, I'm full of sadistic stalkeresque information. I've completely memorized your diary."

"I don't have a diary." Of course she was lying, she most definitely had a diary and she kept it hidden in the rip of her suitcase that laid under her bed. She had no intentions of leading Tom to find it even existed.

"Now you're lying. It's not very smart to lie to the only friend you have left." He looked at her out of the corner of his eye condescendingly.

She didn't say anything, her stomach was rolling and the food in her mouth tasted bland and the texture made her feel slightly sick. She could feel all the eyes in the cafeteria burning into her on all sides and she wanted very desperately to just sink down into the ground and never return. She couldn't see any type of positive outcome today and wondered how much trouble she might get in if she skipped all her classes for the day. Tom would probably guess and give her detention or turn her in, so that seemed like a poorly thought out plan.

The urge to cry was so overwhelming, the burning behind her eyes made them sting and she had to sniff loudly to inhale the tears that sat heavily in her eyes. She would not cry in front of the school and she would most certainly not cry in front of Tom Riddle. She had no doubts for how perceptive he was, he definitely knew she was trying not to cry but he said nothing to comfort her and did nothing to help. That only made it even worse. She was very aware of the fact that no matter what she did from now on, it would be watched and spoken about, so standing up suddenly and leaving was not an option.

Hermione couldn't think of anything that would help her out of the terrible predicament she was being placed in. She pushed her fingers into her hair and looked up across the great hall where her friends sat giving her quite possibly the foulest look she'd ever received. That wasn't the worst of it, the worst part was that Ronald Weasley was purposely looking everywhere but her; ignoring her and the boy she sat with as if she were nothing. Her heart panged, she could stand being hated on but being ignored so intensely by someone she considered her closest friend was difficult.

"He'll get over it, don't beat yourself up." Tom's voice caused her to jump from her thoughts.

"I don't want them to have to get over anything. Why in the hell do you want to be my boyfriend so bad?" She pushed her plate away from her, she couldn't stand another bite. Her throat felt itchy and the burning feeling from her eyes had spread down to her throat.

"Why are you so upset that I want to be your boyfriend?" He took a piece of toast from her plate and started eating at it.

"I can't stand you. You're obnoxious, a know-it-all, tricky, you lie a lot, you're arrogant, and you're just plain annoying." She spat out.

"You'll grow to love me Hermione, if you don't already, eventually you'll have to admit it to yourself. Until then, if you'd rather live in denial, that's all you. If you hated me as much as you said you did, you wouldn't be in this situation." He finished his breakfast and made to stand up. "I'm done, I'll walk you to class."

"I don't want to go to class. I couldn't focus on anything even if I wanted too." She threw her plate away and grabbed her bag. "I may go to the nurse's office and play sick."

"Everyone will know why, that's not a very good idea. You'll have to work through it today, it won't be that bad." He held an elbow out for her in a curt manner.

She stared at his arm trying to contain the heavy sinking feeling that was blossoming in her chest. His face held no emotion and she couldn't seem to understand why that was pissing her off so much. She placed her arm in his and walked doing her best to mimic the façade he held on his face but it was no use, her entire body was burning now, a sense of numbness taking over her limbs.

In all reality, she could see that she may have been acting a tad dramatic. This really didn't have to be as big of a deal as she was making it out to be, her world wasn't ending and she would probably definitely come back from this. Tom was right, Ginny and her friends wouldn't be mad at her forever but at the moment, she couldn't see past this moment. She couldn't get over the fact that she was very much alone with no one but Tom Riddle to comfort her.

"You're acting like your life is over. It's not that bad Hermione." Tom looked down at her as they made their way down the hallway.

She said nothing in reply, doing her best to not look at him. She really had no interest in seeing his face at the moment.

"Wha-" She tripped over her feet as Tom pushed her suddenly into an open door, sending her stumbling over a table. The room he'd shoved her into was dark and she looked around wildly in confusion trying to determine where he'd just shoved her.

"Okay, here's the deal." He came in quickly closing the door behind him.

"Did someone see-"

"No. Stop talking, I'm talking. It's my time." She opened her mouth to respond but decided to let him speak and pursed her lips shut tightly. "We just announced our new relationship and you look like you're going to kill yourse- look at me Hermione. "

She had been staring off around the room trying to adjust her eyes to the light but she could only make out shapes. Tom's figure was obviously in front of her and she could see the gleam from his eyes and she forced herself to look up at him.

She jumped when his figure moved forward abruptly, his fingers coming around into her hair and grasping her face. His lips were cool and hot all at once, his tenderness surprising her. She found herself so used to his aggressive and seductive nature with her that this surprised her, his touch different and light. His fingers stroking her face so softly she might've melted if her body let her. His fingers trailed so slowly down her spine so that her body moved against his on her own will. His lips moved in gentle strokes against hers, tasting her with soft slow passion that relaxed her entire being.

He didn't let go, his fingers pressing into the small of her back to hold her firmly against him then sliding his hand softly up to her arms moving them so that they were moved up to hold Tom. His strength was apparent as he picked her up as though her body weighed nothing to him, placing her on a hard surface to hold her more firmly against him. She lost track of the time it could've been seconds or minutes but she wouldn't have known.

When he pulled away she opened her eyes slowly and found him barely an inch away, his fingers still holding her face softly and his breath hot on her lips and she moved forward again, her lips burning to feel more. He didn't stop her, welcoming her again. His breathing only slightly heavier and his touch barely heavier. Tom seemed to be determined to be as soft and passionate as possible. She couldn't have appreciated it more, her body breathing in his touch so heavily that every pump of blood through her veins made her head feel even heavier. The kiss, still soft and slow in nature grew longer and their fingers held each other tighter.

His hands held her tightly, pulling her into his body as close and tightly as she would allow. It was almost like he was trying to envelope her inside of him, push her body into his. She inhaled it, savoring the taste of his lips, the drunk feeling slowly filling her body with every breath she took. She needed more and when she wrapped her legs around Tom's body, her mouth pressing harder onto his, she felt almost devastated when he pulled away leaving her gasping.

"What?" She asked trying to see the expression on his face. "What happened?"

His breathing was equally heavy as hers and she felt slightly confused, her blood still rushing softly in her ears.

"I was making a point." He was still pushed up against her body and she was trying not to pay attention to his body pressed into hers, but it was hard. Her head was spinning. "I was making a very valid point to you. One that I think shouldn't have to be explained."

She took another breath and looked up at him, though his face was very hard to see in the light that was coming through the closed shades. She didn't make any sounds or movements just stared up at him. She didn't need Tom to explain the point he was making and she didn't need to say anything to let Tom knew that she understood. She could be angry but it would be pointless, it would be like swallowing poison and expecting him to die.

"You wouldn't be here if you didn't want to be." His tone of voice wasn't quite flat anymore but filled with some thick feeling she couldn't quite describe.

He turned away and walked towards the door, moving slowly as if he were expecting her to say something but she couldn't think of anything to say. Tom opened the door and peeked out before walking out the door, leaving her behind in the dark. She sat still trying to sort through everything that was working through her head.

His point was clear and almost seemed like a slap in the face to her. She didn't have to let him kiss her, she could have very easily pushed him away and walked out of this room or closet or whatever the hell it was and she did not. She didn't have to agree to anything that had happened to her, she could have walked away from it all in all reality. She'd could try and say that she was here because he forced her, but here she was. Here in this closet of her own free will. There she sat, kissing Tom Riddle of her own free will.

The way he sat and kissed her, it wasn't the same. He'd done it on purpose, he wanted it to be different to prove it to her. He wanted to show her that if she was going to act like this was the end of the world, she needed to know it was a two way street.

And it was a hard two way street.

She let the closet probably an hour later, she knew she'd missed class and she didn't exactly care. She did feel slightly ashamed of the fact that she had missed so much class lately because of a boy, but that was it. She knew she could make up the work and it would be simple to lie and say she was sick or was experiencing girl problems. What was hard was going to be facing her friends in the next class, where she was sure her usual lab partner, Ron, would be sitting rather far away from her.

She walked through the crowd of students, ignoring the dejavu that came with the students staring at her and whispering as she made her way towards her locker. She did receive a slightly surprise when she neared her locker to see a bright head of flaming hair standing next to it, though it wasn't a female. She felt a slight drop in her stomach but continued anyways, this was going to happen sooner or later. He looked up at her when she walked up, his hand unconsciously reaching towards the back of his head to tug at his hair.

"Hey." She said softly, unsure of how else to handle the situation besides softly.

He looked around and seemed to notice that people were walking by slowly and he scratched the back of his head harder.

"Can we talk?" His voice seemed muffled and his tone as though he were trying to compress all of his feelings. "I need to talk, we need to talk. I want to talk to you. We have too."

She felt a pang in her stomach at the sound of his voice and felt a sense of desperate need to run away and do her best to get away from this conversation but she knew that running would only make this day considerably worse.

"I know, of course. Did you want too…?" She trailed off wanting him to finish the sentence for her, hoping he would say sure, we can talk two weeks from now.

"Tonight, I want to talk tonight. If your boyfriend," The word sounded poisonous in his mouth and his face pulled a sour look. "Doesn't mind."

"Ron, he's not…he won't mind." She turned into her locker to grab her books, she had to get away.

"I'll see you after dinner then."

It was no surprise to her when she walked into her next class that Ron was sitting at a lab desk with Harry when she walked into the class. She felt a small, and when she said small she meant minute, sense of relief when she saw that Tom had taken his place. At least she wouldn't be sitting alone like some vagabond.

"That was a pretty short conversation, how'd it go?" Tom didn't look at her when he spoke and for some reason that made her feel ever worse.

"He wants to talk tonight. There was too many people around watching. It's like we're famous and this damn school is all paparazzi. It's ridiculous, the people in this school are ridiculous. It's ridiculous how much everyone loves you." She rolled her eyes as she got out all her supplies.

"What can I say, I'm a great guy. Loving, charming, you've got a good catch." He looked over sending her a small wink.

"I'd prefer to throw you back to the ocean."

The rest of the day seemed to follow in perfect suit with absolutely no one talking to her, everyone staring at her and Tom being cordially polite at every step of the way. Unusually polite since the incident this morning leading her to believe she may have upset him this morning. He hadn't made any rather obnoxious jokes, no winking or inappropriate timed smiling as he usually did. He wasn't ignoring her, which she felt might have actually been better than the way he was acting. She seemed to be incredibly talented at pissing everyone off in one setting.

By the time dinner reached she was so tired she probably could have fallen straight into her food and fallen asleep inhaling mashed potatoes.

"You have something on your face…what is that…is that…are you wearing makeup?" Tom reached over and smeared at the under eye of her face pulling away his finger to look at the makeup that he'd wiped away. "Since when do you wear makeup?"

"Since my under eyes looked like I've become one of the walking dead, that's when." She grabbed a napkin rubbing at the thick under eye concealer. "Not that it did much good."

"I don't like it." He stated matter-of-factly. "Hides your freckles, I like your freckles."

"Oh." She didn't know how exactly to say thank you. "I have to meet with Ron soon, I'm not looking forward to it."

"What's the worst that could happen? He might push you out the window but at least that's the end of all your problems." He shrugged but his face flinched when Hermione's foot found contact with his shin under the table.

"I'm not hungry, I'm just going to go. If I'm not back in the next hour or so, check the grounds for my mangled body though." She stood up.

Tom nodded at her but didn't say anything and she made her way to the hallway standing outside the door to sit on the bench watching all the students who walked out. She hadn't asked Ron where they were to meet and he didn't tell her but she'd seen him in dinner so she decided sitting and waiting would be the best approach. She let her mind wander as she watched, students filing out of the dining hall barley paying her any attention and she appreciated it. She could handle being ignored, handle the students pretending she was a nobody. It was relieving not having any whispers or stares at the moment and it was more than enjoyable.

More enjoyable than being with a boyfriend who she'd somehow offended, better than the three friends who had become so angry with her that they were refusing to be friends with her at the time being. Even more enjoyable than her parents complete lack of communication with her since the incident of her getting in trouble. There was no way her life could get any better than it was at the moment, eventually her parents would figure out she was dating a high profile figure's son, the son who'd she had been caught snogging in her first month here, and they would probably blow up. She could hear their conversation already:

" _What happened to our little girl? Since when did you care about boys?"_

 _"He's affecting your grades, how could you let a boy do this to you?"_

Or at least something along those lines and the constant replay of these conversations seemed to be running through her mind all day. Not to mention the feeling of unbearable dread when she'd received some of her graded papers back to see that her grades were beginning to near that of ninety-four's and at one horrific point, a paper from Professor Snape that was graded as a low ninety-two. That was too close to a B for her comfort. A part of her was wondering whether she ought to just start enjoying Tom Riddle's company for the mere sake of her sanity, maybe it was time to just buck up and accept what was happening and go along with it.

The other part was that she wasn't very good at giving up and giving in and everything in her was just telling her to keep fighting to prove her side of the argument, no matter what the classroom storage room incident had shown her this morning. Just because she thoroughly enjoyed making out with someone and touching them every second she got didn't mean she actually liked them. Who cared that her breath skipped a minute or so whenever he came up to her or that she seemed to lose track of everything but him when he touched her, you could be heavily attracted to someone without liking them. She had a massive crush on Prince Harry but that didn't mean she loved him.

It was a very different thing to be attracted to someone, especially when that someone looked like he'd literally tripped and fallen off his cloud as a fallen angel, and actually like and love someone. She could meet Prince Harry and he could probably be the world's largest ass and that wouldn't make him any less attractive. It could be said that Tom Riddle was probably as popular as Prince Harry, his father being the Lord Chancellor, Tom Riddle Sr. Tom technically had no title from that, which would have been a relief if he didn't also have a nobility title as well that he constantly shoved in her face almost once a day. He father was the brother of the Duke of York, who had no son. Which apparently granted Tom the title once his father and his uncle had passed.

Hermione honestly didn't care of Tom's rank, title, or his father's privilege, it didn't make him any more loveable. She'd heard the other girls in her common's and library constantly chatting about it while he wasn't around though and it was very annoying, so very ridiculously annoying. Ron had even asked her once if that was why she liked hanging around him so much, she immediately took it back when she realized how much the question had offended her. Hermione had a lot of trouble coming up with a reason on why she hung out around Tom Riddle so much and always seemed to avoid the question when asked by changing the subject or something of the sort. There was going to be no avoiding it now, Ron was going to want to know everything and he was going to listen.

"Hermione," She snapped her head up to catch Ron looking at everything but her.

"Hey, I didn't know where you wanted to meet so I was just waiting…" She trailed off, he was still avoiding her gaze.

"We can just walk, we can go through the back halls and go up to give us some privacy." He nodded towards a hallway that was around the large grand staircase and she followed him.

He didn't say anything at first, just walked close to her but far enough away where their shoulders didn't touch while they moved. He didn't speak until they were about five minutes down the hall reaching the back stairs towards the second floor.

"Why didn't you just tell me?" His voice sounded extraordinarily hurt and it felt like a slap to the face.

"You guys were always talking about how much you hated him and I couldn-"

"You were always assuring me nothing was happening and then we kissed and you said it was just because you weren't ready and you made it seem like all I had to do was wait. You lied Hermione, I mean full on lie." His words were harsh and she thought she was going to be partially prepared for it, but she wasn't.

"You guys were on me about him from the start, I didn't even know how to bring it up. Hey, you know that guy that you told me was terrible and to stay away from on the first day of school, I'm dating him. Like that would work, you guys spent half your time around me trashing him and ignoring me completely when he was around."

"So how long has this been going on? Surely it's been going on since that kiss then? You just led me on and didn't care to tell me what was happening?"

"No, this is a new thing it hasn't been happening that long. I mean, we've been talking but-"

"So you guys were talking and you just let me kiss you and think that maybe I had a chance?"

"It wasn't like that! It wasn't like that Ron! We were just friends and then it just happened…I don't know how but it just happened. He's not all that bad. I shouldn't have lied about it…I'm sorry." She turned to look at him because he had stopped was looking at her in a weird way that she couldn't quite describe. "You're all right, I should have told you I was talking to him or anything. I should have said something, but I couldn't. You all hate him and me liking him made me think you hate me too, I'm sorry."

"You could have told me…it wouldn't have been like that and you know it. You were just thinking of yourself and what we might think of you. I wouldn't have cared- no stop." She had opened her mouth to interrupt but he held his hand up and she closed it rapidly. "Just because you were with someone we hated doesn't mean we hate you, doesn't mean I hate you. If you had just thought for a second you would have known that, I like you Hermione. I like you a lot and you know that and I know you like me too, maybe not like you like Tom."

"I didn't want you guys to found out like you did, I told Tom I wanted to be able to tell you but he just…did it." She turned away from him, his gaze made her feel like she'd killed someone he loved.

"So you were just going to keep lying about it until you felt like it was the right time to tell?" He asked incredulously.

"No…no! I just was trying to think of a way to tell you without any of this," She waved her hands around to emphasize the situation they were in. "I just wanted it to be different and I was just afraid…and I'm sorry."

"I mean, out of all the things to lie about though. You knew how we felt about him and you had to of known that you felt this way about him for a while and you didn't say anything all this time Hermione, that's the point. Then this morning after you literally rejected me you show up kissing Riddle in front of the entire damn school, how do you expect us to take it?"

"Not well." She was lost for words and she felt that at this moment anything else she said would just hurt her even more.

"That's all you have to say? Not well?"

"What do you want me to say Ron? I feel like shit! I didn't want to hurt you or Ginny or Harry or anyone! This entire fucking school hates me and I deserve it okay? I shouldn't have lied and I didn't want to lie but I was just lost at what else to do and I made the wrong decision okay?" Yelling wasn't going to help her at this point but she couldn't help it, she was at a breaking point. Today had just been too much and she felt like she was dying internally.

"Why are you yelling? I didn't come up here to argue with you, I just wanted to talk." She turned to look at him and glared.

"Look, I'm not trying to yell, I'm sorry. I'm not trying to argue, I'm sorry." She moved over to sit on the window ledge on the stairs to the fourth floor which they were walking up. "I just want everything to be okay. I didn't want to lie and I wish I hadn't…I'm sorry."

"I just need time, can you understand that? I need time Hermione. I can't just come up to the two of you and pretend that I like him and that this is all okay suddenly, do you understand?"

She didn't say anything just looked up at him from her window ledge with a look that probably resembled a dying unhappy animal.

"Yeah. I'm fine." She said

"I'll….I'll see you around then okay?" He had reached his hand up around to his head again and was looking at her but it was her turn to look around at everything but him.

They sat in silence for a moment before he finally sighed and walked off. When he walked around the corner and disappeared, it was her turn to sigh loudly. She looked around and cherished the fact that she was alone and planned to cherish it for as long as she could because going back to her dorm room would be mean facing Ginny again, and she'd faced enough Weasleys today. Hermione was at least thankful that the talk with Ron had been short and to the point. She was desperate for any type of break coming up, she needed to get away.

"Looks like it didn't go over very well." She scrunched her eyes shut as hard as they would go, praying for anything to make the voice disappear.

"Do you stalk me for fun or…?" She pushed her face hard into her hands.

"I stalk you because you're my girlfriend and it's my duty to know what you're doing at every second of every hour," He came up next to her and sat down beside her on the ledge. "Or I just wanted to be sure Weasley didn't do something he would regret."

"He wasn't going to beat me up, you're absurd." She rolled her eyes and leaned back against the window enjoying the cool feeling of the glass against her back.

"I wasn't talking about him beating you up, though a part of me thinks you might be into that sort of thing. If that's the case, you can tell me, I don't mind being a little rough every now and then."

"Can't you ever be serious? Just for a moment?"

"Not sure, never tried it." He leaned back with her and she could feel that he was looking at her. "It'll be alright. You heard him, he just wants time. You'll have your precious Ron back in a few days."

"I really hurt his feelings." She opened her eyes and turned to look at Tom and was struck momentarily by his handsome features in the moon light shining from the window.

His cheeks are particularly sharp and angled in this light and the light gleamed in his eyes making them dark and twinkling, giving them a soft deep look that made her want to stare into them for the rest of the night. His lips were so soft and full that she had to reel herself in from pushing herself into them even though she'd kissed him enough today to last a life time.

"I think I'm going to get you a photo album of my face, I know I'm good looking and all but you shouldn't stare so much, it's really impolite." He leaned in closer to her face and she took a deep breath closing her eyes.

"Is this what having a boyfriend is like?" She peeked at him out of the side of her eye.

"No. Not at all." He smiled. "This is what having me is like."


	7. Chapter 7

**Authors Note: Is it so much shorter than anything I usually ever write? Yes. But only because the next chapter is going to be incredibly long and I honestly wanted to leave them being on vacation alone and away from anything else because I needed it to be it's own chapter. So I'm sorry for this short nonsense that really didn't lead much anywhere, I feel bad but not too terrible because it's not as bad as I'm making it sound.**

 **I love Private Intentions so I of course love every single chapter that comes from this because I am in love with my Tom characterization because it's so different than angry formal smart Tom which I'm so used to reading in everything and writing about lol.**

 **Anywhom. So Don't Eat The Apple is coming up next. Still nobody has really reviewed it but I will do a second chapter because I have high hopes for all my writings. (PSST READ THAT SHIT AND TELL ME IF YOU LIKE IT OKAY) but I won't bring much attention to it.**

 **Review and Rate this even though it was short and pointless, again sorry bout it.**

 **Enjoy!**

 **(P.S. I'm also glad this writing one a time is working out, at least for now. I'm enjoying not worrying about all three stories and just worrying about one at a time. Also gets rid of the terrible writers block that comes from trying to think of three story lines at once)**

Hermione's first official week dating Tom Riddle was probably just as bad as she imagined it would be. If she thought the students had been awful to her before, they were particularly nasty now. The worst moment had to have been opening her locker and what looked like a thousand condoms and notes reading words like _**SLUT, WHORE, CUNT,**_ and _**BITCH**_. It might have not been that bad except it felt like the entire school had laughed at her and for the rest of the day, she'd had condoms thrown at her as she walked down the hall.

"So could you remind me again why I shouldn't just dump you?" Hermione was kicking her bag under her desk for Biochemistry picking a piece of paper from her hair that had been chucked at her in the hall, not caring to read what was written on it.

"You know how much people hate you for dating me?" He reached over and grabbed another piece from the back of her hair. "Can you imagine how much they would hate you if you dumped me? Not to mention I'd be devastated, breaking the heart of the school's golden boy is bad juju."

"Who even says that word?" She rolled her eyes opening her book.

"The schools golden boy, that's who. Don't be upset because I have a large vocabulary."

"I wouldn't call your list of words a large vocabulary. It sounds more like you read some children's books and threw some words together in a sentence." She fiddled with her pencil. "At least when you're around no one makes fun of me."

"See, I told you being around me was a good thing."

"You're the reason they're making fun of me in the first place!" She gritted through her teeth.

"Are we having this argument again? Should I find another supply closet?'

"It was an empty storage classroom, and no. You made your point just fine…I'm so ready for winter break. It's calling my name."

Tom didn't have a chance to reply for Professor Slughorn had walked in, his eyes shooting straight to Tom and Hermione giving them such a wide cheeky grin it almost made her sick. Ever since he found out that Hermione had finally decided to date Tom he'd been incessantly making comments about how cute they were, how they belonged together, how he knew they were going to date, how they were going to get married. It all made her astonishingly sick and it didn't help that he'd "randomly" rearranged the room so that Tom and Hermione were permanent lab partners.

"Today, we will be watching a movie-"The class cut him off, cheering happily. "Now…now. That's enough. We will be watching a movie going over the Molecular Orbital Theory-"The cheers turned to groans of disappointment.

Hermione was with them, while she loved this class in general and usually enjoyed the lessons, movies usually ended up boring her. The slow moving pictures and examples mixed with the sluggish molasses voice of some dainty old man often put her to sleep. She drowned out the rest of Slughorn's speech realizing today was going to be nothing important, the video wasn't going to teach her anything that Slughorn hadn't already gone over. She might as well get out some of her other homework so it at least looked like she was taking notes on the film.

"Why so excited for break? I thought you said your parents were making you stay here." Tom's voice whispered from beside her. The light in the room flicked off illuminating his face with only the wavering lights from the television.

"And they are, but I know for a fact that half of the school is going home and I don't have to leave my room for anything. Ginny is going home with Ron and her brothers so I'll have the entire room to myself, nobody to pointedly ignore me or made snide comments about my choice in men."

"That sounds depressing and hermit like." Hermione ignored him, taking out her Greek History and Theory study guide. "You won't be able to sit in your room the whole time, you'll have to eat. I've seen the way you eat too, you're not going to be able to starve yourself."

"I hope you choke on caviar at the stupid fancy resort you're going too." Hermione sniffed haughtily.

"We're going to Russia, you ought to come. It would do you good to get away from all these heathens."

"Again, who even uses that word? Where the hell are you getting these words? Have you been reading your grandmother's diary?" She heard Tom chuckle from beside her and the sound made her stomach tickle.

"I'm being serious, I would like for you to come with me on Christmas Break."

She inhaled a hefty drag of air before choking on it, coughing loudly and sputtering on her own Oxygen. Her throat racking to take control of the heaving while her face burned with embarrassment. She took another heady breath and turned to look at Tom expecting to find that stupid little obnoxious smile he had on whenever he was joking with her but she couldn't find it anywhere. Just a serious honest look with a face patiently looking for a response.

"You're joking." Her voice came out as a disbelieving whisper.

"Have you ever been to Russia?" He cocked an eyebrow at her.

"No. That happens to be one of the few countries my parents have never felt the need to take me." She shrugged.

"So it's settled then, I'll take you to Russia with my fam-"

"No!" Her voice came out loud and her hand shot up, covering her mouth. Slughorn looked over at the two of them to send them a smile but wagged a ring ridden finger at them. Behind her, she could hear students snickering at her sudden outburst and she glared at Tom angrily.

"No," She whispered starkly. "I don't want to meet your parents. I can't imagine your parents being okay with you dating the daughter of some lowly dentists."

"My father could care less who I bring home, I assure you. The most we'll see of him will be at night at the public dinners. The world will end before you end up alone long enough with my father for him to ask you any personal questions. Not that he would though, he's more concerned with his work that anything." Hermione realized that Tom's voice had taken a rather bitter tone when it came to his father which contradicted with how she had imagined their relationship to be.

When Hermione saw Tom and his father, she saw a son who was spoiled so rotten that his father would shower him with gifts every day. She even had the silly image of Tom as a small five year old child, laughing joyously and carelessly swimming in a room filled almost to the ceiling with wrapped gifts. She pictured him getting out of bed with someone standing by his bedside softly playing a violin, all of his servants taking care of him, brushing his teeth for him, dressing him, and the whole nine yards. It was a funny picture but someone as arrogant as Riddle wasn't just born that way.

She had a hard time believing that Tom's father didn't care about him and that it was probably more of Tom being so spoiled and arrogant that he just saw his father as a figure who was annoying and didn't care. His tone may have been bitter and his face may have pursed itself to a strangely almost angry look, she couldn't believe that someone like Tom Riddle had parents who hated him.

"What about your mother?" Hermione just realized he'd yet to mention his mother and that she'd never actually even heard him talk about her. "Will she be coming-"

"No. She won't." His cheek ticked dangerously and Hermione shrunk back, surprised at his sudden posture and severe emotion change but then it was gone as soon as it flashed over his face. "Just me, you, and my father."

"I haven't even said I'm going yet." She turned back around to glance at the movie screen. "My parents would never let me go."

"Oh, but I can be very persuasive with parents, don't worry about that." He winked at her. "That's the good thing about dating me, all parents love me."

"Had it occurred to you maybe I don't want to go?"

"Okay, so pros and cons. Pros: 1) You're going to Russia; 2) You're going to be with me-"

"That's a con." She interrupted but he continued on as if he'd never heard her, his voice talking over her.

" _Number Three:_ You wouldn't have to be around any students at all, because I promise you the teasing will be a thousand times worse if I'm not here; 4) Think of all the se-"

"What about the cons?" She cut him off immediately.

"Cons? What cons? You think there are cons to being around me?" He gave her another cockeyed arrogant look. "I'm all pro Hermione."

"I don't even know why I started listening in the first place."

"Listen, just think of it this way. You can either stay here and stay locked in your dungeon for a month knowing every time you walk out the door, you'll be teased so endlessly you will probably skip most of your meals and end up starving, or," His face smiled and he put his hands out as if he were displaying a banner in mid-air. "You can come with me to Russia for a month and, for one whole month, be free of every student here including the teasing and name calling."

She stared at him and as bad as she wanted the choice to be incredibly simple and just say no and turn away, it was tempting. It was so tempting that she was picturing it against her own will, the comfort of the large comfy room and the silence, the utter silence of the name-calling, the rude gestures, the paper throwing…she didn't think she wanted to refuse. Surely a month alone with Tom Riddle couldn't be as bad as being alone with this school for a month, but her parent would probably never go along with it.

"My parents would never let me." She felt annoyed at the pang of sadness that she would probably not get to go.

"Like I said, let me take care of that. So is that a yes?" His smile widened.

"It's not a no." She said nothing else after that but her fingers itched to slap the large smug smile that had her answer had left on Tom's face.

Hermione sat quietly on her bed studying her laptop shining onto her face while Ginny sat quietly using hers. There was no words, just like it'd been for the past week. There hadn't been any words at all except for some quiet muttering she'd heard every now and then when Ginny seemed stressed or angry and decided being angry about her dating Tom was the best way to relieve that anger.

So Hermione was beyond shocked that while she was sitting on her bed staring at the computer screen when Ginny suddenly spoke up.

"What are you doing for winter break?"

Hermione's fingers slipped on the keys messing up the sentence she was typing on her paper to look over at her, blinking as if to try and really see if she were really talking to her.

"Me?" She asked stupidly.

"No, your laptop." Ginny replied smartly.

She stared at her in amazement and found her mouth working to respond.

"I…I…uh. I really haven't decided. It's between staying here amongst other things I guess." She didn't feel like this was the time to tell her about Tom asking her to stay with him in Russia.

"I wish you had just told me. I mean, yeah I would have been upset, but I mean. You could have trusted me." Ginny's voice sounded like a cross between an angry child and someone trying to sound very mature.

Hermione didn't know how to respond, this had already been said to her multiple times and she was rather tired of trying to explain herself.

"I know." Was all she said. "How much do the boys hate me?"

"They don't, they just think you're crazy like I do. Though, any time we've heard someone trashing on you we've been quick to shut them up, especially Ron. Malfoy was bad mouthing you the other day in the library and Ron almost tackled him."

She felt a small blush in her cheeks, appreciative that at least someone in this place was standing up for her because God knows Tom probably wasn't. If he was nearly as powerful and lovable as he thought himself to be, the school wouldn't be treating her the way they did.

"At least someone cares, did you see my locker the other day?" Hermione snorted. "Speaking of which though, if you and Harry ever decide to…you know…I have enough protection to last you two a lifetime."

That had the two of them splitting sides, something Hermione was eternally grateful for. It felt amazing to laugh with someone that wasn't laughing at her. When they finally stopped laughing, Hermione felt so warm inside she was almost embarrassed. She wasn't sure how long they stayed up talking, but it was late enough to where the next morning she would wake up with dark circles but finally for a good reason.

When they walked out to the common room next morning Tom's eyes met hers with surprise as she walked out with Ginny, talking animatedly. Ginny caught sight of Tom waiting for her next to the couch and stiffened slightly but relaxed after a moment and even walked to stand next to him with Hermione.

"You're back so soon?" Hermione narrowed her eyes at his sarcasm.

"Too bad you won't be leaving anytime soon." Ginny retorted but still remained.

"Will you be joining us for breakfast then?" He grabbed Hermione's bad from her arm and slug it over his shoulder.

"Maybe I will." Ginny raised her nose and followed them as they walked, but neither of them spoke to him as they made their way to breakfast, he just walked next to her as he did every morning. The corner of his lip upturned slightly in some sort of hidden smile.

Harry and Ron didn't join them as Ginny did, the testosterone apparently proving to be too much for the three of them to be near each other and left the two girls and Tom to sit alone at a table. Breakfast was different, in that Tom was unusually quiet as the two girls chatted, catching up on the past week though it was more Ginny telling Hermione about all the things that had happened between her and the boys. Hermione had nothing to tell Ginny unless she wanted to hear about all the names she'd been called or some of the choice insults she'd heard, some of which were rather witty but still incredibly rude. In fact, Tom was so abnormally silent that after Ginny said her good-byes and made her way back to the boys leaving Tom to walk her to class she found herself needing to ask.

"You were oddly quiet all morning, weren't you?" She nudged his shoulder as some of the younger girls waved and greeted Tom up the stairs they were walking.  
"Just letting you and your friend catch up." He said simply.

"Yes, but that doesn't explain why you were so quiet. You're never quiet, you always have something to say." She raised a suspicious eyebrow at him.

"You make me sound so annoying." He grinned.

"You obviously don't know you as well as I do then."

"I know you a great deal better than you know me, and you don't know nearly a quarter as much about me as you think you do." He said in a know-it-all tone.

"That's because when you talk about yourself all you ever do is talk about how great and rich and smart and terrific you are." They reached their classroom.

"Now see, there is another great reason for you to come with me to Russia, just think of all the nice bonding time we could have." He winked at her. "Speaking of which, did you happen to mention to your friends you might be spending your entire winter break with me? It might not be pertinent to lie to them again so soon after regaining their trust."

"I certainly wasn't going to tell her the first day she started talking to me again. I'll probably tell her tonight or tomorrow."

"Just saying, the last thing you need is another situation on your hands." He walked her to the door of her classroom, this weird smile on his face. "Meet you after."  
_

The rest of her day, she wanted to say it was perfect even though it was a rather strong word, because for the first time it what felt like a rather long time, she felt so happy. She wasn't lying to her friends and hiding this large odd secret from them and constantly worrying about who would find out, and they were actually talking to her, pretending as though the last week hadn't happened. The entire rest of the week seemed to go that way, even her grades slightly improved. Ginny and them weren't so incredibly thrilled when she mentioned going to Russia for a month with Tom. Ginny more so because she believed a month was a rather long time to spend with someone who she'd just recently starting dating, but otherwise they kept relatively quiet about the whole thing.

Winter break rounded the corner quickly and she wasn't even sure if she was actually going with Tom to Russia, she'd yet to bring it up to her parents. Every time she asked Tom about it he would just smile and give her the same answer…"Don't Worry. I've got it covered." Whether or not he had it covered, Winter break started Friday and she still had every intention of staying here at the school. Even though the students had calmed down in their continual assaults of her, his closest friends including Pansy, were still going strong. She barely had time to worry about Russia or winter break with exams beating down on her. Exams started Wednesday and it was Monday and she at one point had a mental breakdown to which Ron had to consul her out of it, Tom was of no help.

"You could always ask me for help, I'm the smartest student in the school." Tom glanced at her hectic notes she was taking from her Gothic Literature book.

"I wouldn't ask you for help in school if I was failing. You'd probably purposely give me wrong answers and laugh when they gave me my paper back." She covered her paper with her arm, glaring at him.

"Better than your other friends, I don't even understand on Weasley passes any of his classes. I've heard some of the study sessions you've had with him in the library, I'm surprised he can even spell his own name."

"Oh, so now you're watching over me when I'm with other men? Sounds a bit overprotective to me not to mention a tad creepy. You've never had a real girlfriend before have you, just a bunch of sleeping buddies. That must be why you feel like you have to watch me all the time. Don't you want to hang out with your friends?"

"Hermione, I have a little secret to tell you." His voice dropped a few octaves, taking on a rather serious tone and she looked at him giving with a surprised look. "I'm being serious, come here."

"What?"

"No, closer come here." He looked around at some of the other students who were sitting around in the common room near them. She gave him a skeptic look and leaned in closer on the couch pushing her shoulder against his to press her face near his.

He looked around again and leaned forward, his voice quiet and low in her ear.

"I really didn't want to have to tell you this, but all my friends hate you." He whispered softly into her ear.

"Tom! God!" She shoved at him. "So what, your friends won't hang out with you because they hate me? I see you with them all the time, that's the biggest load of bull-crap I've ever heard."

The smile on his face was huge and annoying and she shoved at the book in his lap pushing it to the ground but he just laughed aloud.

"Now you're just being childish, you're not going to fail your tests Hermione. You act like this every night before we have a test, like you're the dumbest person you know and you know for an absolute fact that you're going to fail and then you know what happens? You ace the test, I mean you don't get as high as a grade as I do, but you pass. There is no point in freaking out like this, it's stupid."

She stared at him her mouth pursed but she still kicked his book with her foot when he tried to reach for it causing him to laugh out even louder. Hermione was only really annoyed because she knew he was very correct. She wasn't sure however whether she was really annoyed because he was correct or because he knew her well enough to the point that he was correct.

"So should I assume I'm not going with you to Russia? Because I've yet to hear from my parents and I'm not just going to go and not tell them." She looked back at her paper, marking out whatever she'd just written.

"Oh, so you want to go now? I thought you didn't know if you wanted to go or not." He had turned back to his book as well. "You seem to be asking about that trip a lot, you're beginning to make me think you really want to go."

"There's a lot of history in Russia and I've always wanted to go to St. Petersburg." She shrugged nonchalantly.

"I'm not even going to think about taking you until you admit you want to go with me because you love being with me. Here we are, been dating for a month and a half now and we haven't made out in forever-"

"Oh my God-"

"And you still won't admit how much you like me and that you actually like me to the point that you consciously want to spend a month with me in a resort for the winter in Russia."

"I didn't say I didn't want to spend time with you. If I didn't want to date you, I wouldn't still be dating you." She said glaring at him

"Yeah and you haven't said it either." An alarm going off on his watch warned them of their upcoming curfew. "But we have ten minutes if you want to spend five of it wisely."

"I've got a rather pounding headache…" She rolled her eyes, trailing her voice off as she packed her things.

"I thought we didn't start that until we got married, does this mean you're proposing? Oh but Hermione, I had no idea!"

She ignored him packing up her bag to go back to her dorm room. She glanced out the window and felt a pang of happiness when she saw that fat fluffy flakes were slowly coming down and coating everything they touched. She sat at the window watching wistfully as they fell and almost had the notion to sit on the pillowed ledge and watch but Tom came from behind her.

"This week will go by fast and we'll be lost in the snow before you know it," His hands came up behind her and wrapped around her and it surprised her, her body stiffening as his head rested on her shoulder. She felt herself relax softly when his breath blew softly into her ear and his lips placed themselves gently onto her neck. She knew there was no point in denying how she enjoyed his touch and it showed when his fingers squeezed her body and pulled her closer. "Goodnight Hermione."

The week did go by quick and just like Tom had promised, she passed all her exams with flying colors and when Thursday night came and she'd yet to hear from her parents and was starting to stress, she would actually be left here to deal with the students. She thought she might actually feel like she was stressing more about not going on this trip, this trip that she thought she didn't even want to go on. Hermione however was coming to her last straw with Pansy Parkinson. Hermione Granger was not a fighter, she did not hit, she did not curse very often (or she hadn't since she'd met Tom), and again, she was not a fighter.

Hermione Granger wanted nothing more than to slap and beat the ever loving _shit_ out of that tall large boned prissy girl. Ginny wasn't as helpful as she was supposed to be either, almost seemingly egging her on whenever Pansy pushed her buttons.

"Just hit her, she'd never expect it from you." Hermione had clenched Ginny's hand fiercely in hers trying to calm the anger burning in her throat.

"You're going to get me expelled." She gritted her teeth as Pansy smirked at her, walking off but not before sending Hermione a very rude hand gesture to which Ginny jumped forward causing Pansy to flinch sending them to tears laughing. "At least we know she's full of it."

The week was ridiculously slow but when Thursday night came and she wanted to cry in relief when the commons phone rang and was revealed to be her parents.

"Hermione! You didn't tell us that you were such close friends with the Riddles!" Her mom squealed, her voice in pure delight. "And you didn't tell us that they'd invited you to spend the winter with their family!"

"I didn't think it was that big of a-"

"This is big Hermione! Their family could really help get you somewhere when you graduate! Especially with your grades! You have to go Hermione, you could meet a lot of incredibly important people, and your father is at work but he's so excited too! I wish you'd have told us you were such close friends with his son!"

"Mom, please." Hermione's face was red and she saw from the corner of the room where he sat with his friends Tom was watching carefully. "So you're okay with me going?"

"Of course. I mean, we trust you Hermione and this could be big for you and you've never been to Russia. You _have_ to go!"

She talked to her mom for a few more minutes before getting off the phone, deeply relieved that she wasn't going to have to spend the next four weeks of her break dying in her dorm room of boredom and starvation, as Tom said she would, trying to avoid the demons that this school called students. She searched for her friends and walked back over to them trying to keep the stupid smile that was curling at the corners of her mouth off her lips.

"Was that mother dearest finally giving you permission to go?" Ginny was staring intently at the chess board in front of her, Ron across from her with a smirk look on her face.

"Finally. I was honestly afraid I was going to be stuck here."

"We would have let you come home with us you know. I wouldn't have let you rot here with his lot." Ron jerked his head towards the obnoxiously laughing group of boys Tom sat in the middle of. "Which is odd, you would think with the power he has with this assholes that they'd treat you a little nicer."

"Well maybe if you'd told me that I was welcome to come to your house for the holiday I wouldn't be going to Russia, but it's too late now." She said smartly, pointing to a small square in front of Ginny to guide her.

"We would have told you if you weren't so wrapped up around his litt-"

"Don't even finish that sentence Ron Weasley." Ginny cut him off, moving her piece to the square Hermione had directed her.

"I need to go get packed anyway, we leave tomorrow and I wasn't going to pack until I knew we were leaving."

"Do you even have clothes for a Russian Winter?" Ginny turned raising an eyebrow as Ron knocked over one of her pawns eliciting a curse.

"No but I have money and I can buy things when I get there." She sniffed.

"Another good question, can you even afford to buy the clothes at the shops where you'll be staying?" It was Harry's turn to raise his eyebrow.

"Worst case scenario, I go dumpster diving outside a couple high end stores."

Hermione really didn't have the clothes for where she was going but she packed to the best of her ability and when the next day arrived she was giddy to leave. The day was calm and the students all seemed giddy to leave, the good-bye's quick and departures even quicker. A slick black Bentley was pulled into the curve of the entrance of the school along with several other identical looking fancy cars driving off with the school's students.

"Ever flown First Class Hermione?" Tom asked, holding the door open for her as she slid into the black interior of the car.

"No, can't say I have." She was rather surprised to see that the driver had put up a partition leaving the incredibly roomy backseat blocked from the front.

"Neither have I, always private jet." He smiled taking a seat next to her placing a confidant hand on her thigh. "Either way, it's a first for you."

"So cocky, aren't we?" She pushed his hand from her thigh but smiling none-the-less, the thrill of leaving this god forsaken place for a month too exciting to ignore.

"Of course, I've got just what I wanted, an entire month alone with you. That's not even the best part though," The smile on his face widened and the little dimples in his cheeks flashed dangerously. "The best part is that you have to spend an entire month sharing a bed and room with me and you don't have any option in the part."  
"What?!" Her mouth fell open, turning to look at him in shock. "You didn't say we'd been sharing a bed!"

"Awh, too late. We're already leaving and the rooms booked, can't do last minute changes or cancellations." He glanced at the black matte Rolex on his wrist with a mischievous gleam in his eyes. "This is going to be the best vacation ever."


End file.
